'Today, he looked like he could beat anyone': Alexander Bublik makes history after four-set demolition of Jack Draper

Alexander Bublik has made history after defeating Great Britains Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16 at the French Open on Monday the 2nd of June, to become Kazakhstans first ever Grand Slam quarter finalist. Bublik went one set down in this encounter but once again showed his newfound mental fortitude as we saw in the round before against Alex De Minaur where he was Two sets behind. Having now setup an enticing fixture against World Number One Jannik Sinner in the Quarter Final on Wednesday the 4th of June, Bublik will be hoping he can continue his fine form and once again produce another upset at Roland Garros.

Having entered the French Open ranked 62nd in the world, everyone already knew the potential Bublik had but just like former Grand Slam finalist Nick Kyrgios, there was doubt as to whether we would ever see the athlete from Kazakhstan reach the heights he is approaching at the latter stages of Roland Garros. Former Seven time Grand Slam Champion, John McEnroe has weighed in on the debate by praising Bublik claiming we don't even know the peak of what he is capable of achieving as "I shudder to think what he would have been like if he actually tried half of the time".

McEnroe would further go on to explain more about Bublik and his experience with the player from Kazakhstan.

"Bublik has always been a talented guy, I shudder to think what he would have been like if he actually tried half of the time, he reminds me of (Nick) Kyrgios because it not just about winning or losing, I’ve heard him say before he doesn’t want to be at the top, he wants to entertain and make a nice living from playing tennis".

“I thought Draper would beat him, as I didn’t know if Bublik could stick at it mentally. Today, he looked like he could beat anyone".

“I used to coach at the Laver Cup, and we looked at Bublik a few times because his ranking was quite high. But I was of the opinion that I wasn’t going to pick him just on that alone because it just felt unfair on those players who take the game a bit more seriously. For me, he looks like he could be in the top 15 in the world, certainly on that form".

“As ex-players, we don’t want to hear players say they’re not going to go all in on everything. Novak, Nadal, Sinner, Alcaraz, they’re like machines, but Bublik is a bit more human out there. Too often, Bublik has tanked".

What now for Bublik?

For now, Alexander Bublik will be looking to continue to upset the applecart by dumping out the World number One Jannik Sinner in the upcoming quarter finals. But moving forward regardless of the result this should prove to be a turning point for the Kazakhstan Tennis star as the drive and passion to reach his previous high of 17th in the world may be found once again. With calls for Bublik to take his profession more seriously ahead of the Grass swing could this could be a deciding factor in his career. Going up against a player ranked First in the world in Sinner, there is little pressure on Alexander Bublik and this may once again prove to be decisive as he can continue to play shots which defy believe in terms of his low ranking. Importantly, all hope will not be lost for Bublik should he trail by even Two sets as we have seen him defy the odds before at this years Roland Garros and I could see this happen again as this fairytale story continues to etch its name in French Open folklore.