The unorthodox crowd favorite Alexander Bublik surprises Jack Draper at the French Open and advances to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. This is followed by some emotional moments.
One of the most colorful characters in the tennis world celebrated his biggest success on the Grand Slam stage to date – and provided one of the most emotional moments of this year’s French Open.
Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan reached the quarterfinals in Paris with a surprise victory over fifth-seeded Brit Jack Draper. It is the first time the unorthodox crowd favorite has reached the last eight at a major tournament – a milestone that was duly celebrated by the fans and moved Bublik to tears.
French Open: Bublik breaks the spell
The 27-year-old Kazakh, otherwise famous and notorious for his risky play and often over-the-top showmanship, completely threw Draper off his game after losing the first set with a mixture of unusual discipline and still deceptively variable play.
Bublik was confident on his own serve and aggressive on returns, forcing Draper into an unusually high number of errors and finally defeating him 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
For showman Bublik, who has caused quite a stir in the past but has also won many fans with his authentic, human manner and his not always professional lifestyle, his run at Roland Garros is his best at a major so far: The four-time tournament winner (including in Halle in 2023) has only made it to the round of 16 once in Grand Slams, and in the last nine major tournaments, he has been eliminated in the first round five times.
Fans celebrate Bublik in style
Bublik enjoyed his triumph over Draper all the more – and the fans gave him a particularly enjoyable bath in the crowd.
Even during the winner’s interview, there was a standing ovation and chants for over a minute. Bublik was moved to tears and deeply touched.
Bublik getting emotional after his huge win RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/vWy67qvaf1
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2025
“Sometimes in life you only get one chance,” said Bublik: “I felt today that this was mine. I couldn’t let it slip away. To be standing here now: this is the best moment of my life. Period.”
Bublik will face Jannik Sinner on Wednesday, who defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
