French Open: No. 62 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan beats No. 5 Jack Draper in the fourth round

PARIS (AP) — Alexander Bublik became the first man from Kazakhstan to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament, eliminating No. 5 Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Monday at the French Open.

The 27-year-old Bublik dropped to the court, smudging himself with the red clay, when he finished off the biggest win of his career after about 2 1/2 hours.

“Sometimes in life, there is only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine and I couldn’t let it slip,” he told the crowd afterward. “Standing here is the best moment of my life. Period.”

Moments later, he joked: “I’m standing here like I won the thing.”

Bublik managed to produce a total of 68 winners, 31 more than the left-handed Draper.

At No. 62, Bublik is the lowest-ranked man to earn a pair of victories at Roland-Garros against opponents ranked in the top 10 since No. 100 Andrei Medvedev in 1999. Bublik came back from a two-set deficit to defeat No. 9 Alex de Minaur in the second round last week.

“I have a certain skill set to play tennis," Bublik said, “and it worked marvelously today — 100% one of the best days of my life and one of the best matches I have ever played in my life.”

Draper called himself “incredibly disappointed with the result.”

After reaching his first major semifinal at last year's U.S. Open, Draper has been having the best season of his career, winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, California, in March and breaking into the top 10 of the rankings.

“Didn’t play a bad match. I thought he played incredibly well,” Draper said about Bublik. “He didn’t allow me to play my tennis, I don’t think.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik as he won the fourth round match of the French Tennis Open against Britain's Jack Draper at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik as he won the fourth round match of the French Tennis Open against Britain's Jack Draper at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Winner Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, right, hugs with Britain's Jack Draper after their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik celebrates as he won the fourth round match of the French Tennis Open against Britain's Jack Draper at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Vote counting was underway Friday in Uganda’s tense presidential election, which was held a day earlier amid an internet shutdown, voting delays and complaints by an opposition leader who said some of his polling agents had been detained by the authorities.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine said Thursday he was unable to leave his house and that his polling agents in rural areas were abducted before voting started, undermining his efforts to prevent electoral offenses such as ballot stuffing.

Wine is hoping to end President Yoweri Museveni's four-decade rule in an election during which the military was deployed and heavy security was posted outside his house near Kampala, the Ugandan capital, after the vote.

The musician-turned-politician wrote on X on Thursday that a senior party official in charge of the western region had been arrested, adding there was “massive ballot stuffing everywhere.”

Rural Uganda, especially the western part of the country, is a ruling-party stronghold, and the opposition would be disadvantaged by not having polling agents present during vote counting.

To try to improve his chances of winning, Wine had urged his supporters to “protect the vote” by having witnesses document alleged offenses at polling stations, in addition to deploying official polling agents.

Wine faced similar setbacks when he first ran for president five years ago. Museveni took 58% of the vote, while Wine got 35%, according to official results. Wine said at the time that the election had been rigged in favor of Museveni, who has spoken disparagingly of his rival.

Museveni, after voting on Thursday, said the opposition had infiltrated the 2021 election and defended the use of biometric machines as a way of securing the vote in this election.

Museveni has served the third-longest tenure of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. The aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military, which is led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.

Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling station, during the presidential election, in the capital, Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Election officials count ballots after the polls closed for the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

An election official holds up unmarked ballots during the vote count after polls closed for the presidential election, at a polling center in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A political representative speaks as he works to observe and verify the counting of ballots after polls closed in the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A supporter of leading opposition candidate Bobi Wine cheers while watching election officials count ballots, after polls closed at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)