Jack Draper admits painful ‘missed opportunity’ after shock French Open defeat to Alexander Bublik

Jack Draper left the red clay of Roland Garros reeling from a stunning four-set defeat that not only ended his deepest Grand Slam run, but also extinguished Britain’s final hope in the French Open singles draw.

The 23-year-old, who came into the match ranked world number five, fell to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik — a player 57 places below him — in a shock 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 loss that Draper himself called a “missed opportunity.”

“It’s a really tough loss to take,” Draper admitted after the match, his voice tinged with frustration. “Even though I’ve come up quickly this year and got myself to a high ranking, it’s been a steep learning curve for me. I had an opportunity today and I missed my opportunity.”

Draper had never won a match at the French Open before this year. This time around, he surged through the early rounds and looked poised for a quarter-final showdown with top seed Jannik Sinner. But on Sunday, against a mercurial opponent in Bublik, Draper came unstuck.

From the outset, the Briton looked confident. He took the first set with composure, showing the power and precision that has propelled him up the rankings. Yet Bublik, ever unpredictable and armed with a magician’s touch, responded with an onslaught of creativity — peppering the match with delicate drop shots and audacious angles.

The turning point came early in the second set. Draper’s rhythm faltered, and Bublik pounced. With each game, the Kazakh grew in confidence, delivering one of the most inspired performances of his career. Draper, by contrast, seemed unable to adjust. His serve dipped, his groundstrokes lost bite, and Bublik seized full control.

“It is the best moment of my life,” said Bublik afterwards. “Sometimes in life there is only one chance and today, I think it was mine. I couldn’t let it slip.”

The final set was the most agonising for Draper. Despite falling behind, he fought hard to claw his way back into the match, earning five break points in a tense closing stretch. But Bublik, now 27, held firm — even after squandering a match point — and finally closed out the match to complete his biggest win in recent memory.

It was Draper’s worst defeat by ranking since last year’s first-round exit in Paris. More than just a surprise result, it felt like a psychological blow to a player whose meteoric rise had seemed unstoppable.

The result also ended British interest in the singles draw, following Cameron Norrie’s earlier loss to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Draper’s disappointment was palpable. His run had ignited genuine hope back home, and with Sinner awaiting in the next round, many believed a marquee match was on the horizon. Instead, it’s Bublik who advances, his name now etched into one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

Draper’s journey at Roland Garros may have ended in heartbreak, but the lessons from this loss may prove crucial as he continues his rapid ascent. Still, on a warm evening in Paris, that was little consolation.