“Standing here, it’s the best moment of my life,” said Alexander Bublik after the biggest win of his career. The 27-year-old had just booked his place in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. His fourth-round victory over Jack Draper has taken him where no Kazakhstani man has gone before in singles, into the last eight of a Slam. Bublik didn’t exactly arrive in Paris as a favorite. He came in with a 7–13 record for the year and was ranked in the 60s. But now, with two top-10 wins under his belt, he’s defying expectations. “Sometimes in life there’s only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine, and I couldn’t let it slip,” he said after the win. But how did he make it count? Serena Williams’ former coach has an answer!

Instead of a long grind against Alex de Minaur, the top seed in his section, Draper found himself across the net from the unpredictable Kazakhstani, who pulled off a stunning comeback to beat De Minaur from two sets down in the second round. Against Draper, Bublik kept his cool in front of a buzzing Court Suzanne Lenglen crowd to seal a 5–7, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 win.

This isn’t entirely new territory for Alexander Bublik in terms of talent. He’s been as high as No. 17 in the rankings before. But now he’s down at No. 62. From the start, he made it clear he meant business as he was blasting serves, firing winners off both wings, and casually throwing in those perfectly weighted drop shots that seem to float like magic.

It’s no secret that his game fits grass better. He even won his only 500-level title on grass at the Halle Open in Germany two years ago. A few years ago, Bublik made his feelings about clay very clear. “I hate clay, I hate this surface,” he said after beating former Roland-Garros champion Stan Wawrinka in Monte Carlo. But fast forward to now, and he’s playing the best tennis of his career on the same surface he once dismissed.

Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, tried to explain how this sudden breakthrough came about. In a post on Instagram, he said, “It’s very surprising that Bublik would have his best result of his whole career in a Grand Slam on clay. That’s the least surface I thought he would do well. He was a player that was having ups and downs, losing his focus, sometimes going for crazy shots in the most important moments and missing, and like he did actually in the last game against Draper, he served 2–3 double faults going full 200 km/h at deuce.

He further continued, “It’s crazy to think that risk, but it’s also why he’s so good, because he’s unpredictable. We’ve seen him play incredible high-level on one match sometimes or moments during the matches, but at Roland Garros he’s able to do it full focus from start to the end. And that’s a big difference.”

But after this match, he faced Jannik Sinner, who had an answer for everything the Kazakh threw at him.

Alexander Bublik gets demolished by Jannik Sinner

In their fifth career meeting, the 27-year-old appeared tense during the opening set, playing cautiously and struggling to find his rhythm. Alexander Bublik managed just six winners while committing eight unforced errors, allowing Sinner to seize the early advantage as he closed the first set 6-1.

The second set saw a noticeable shift. The Kazakhstani began to apply more pressure, troubling Sinner with clever drop shots that dragged the Italian out of position. He also started to swing more freely, striking with confidence and better court penetration. Still, Sinner held firm. From well behind the baseline, he absorbed the pressure with composure, eventually securing a decisive break in the 11th game to tilt the set in his favor.

In the third, Sinner’s consistency and aggressive shot-making proved too much. His depth and precision allowed him to dominate the baseline rallies and close out the match, improving his head-to-head record against Bublik to 4-1. Sinner, to his credit, acknowledged Bublik’s skill. “We played a couple times already, so you know a little bit what to expect. But in another way, with him, you never know what is happening. He deserved to be in the quarter-finals, he beat very tough opponents. I tried to stay focused from my side of the court and play as solid as possible as he can have some ups and downs. I am trying to serve very well in important moments, which I have done.” 

With this win, Jannik Sinner advances to a highly anticipated semifinal showdown against the winner of Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.