👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

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On tap today: Alexander Bublik has a breakthrough moment, Lois Boisson takes an emotional win over Jessica Pegula, Nick Kyrgios ends his grass season already, Frances Tiafoe takes on Lorenzo Musetti, plus more in today’s tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 A surprise to both: Alexander Bublik took down Jack Draper in four sets on Monday, keeping the Brit from reaching the quarterfinals. Throughout the match, it became clear that a different Bublik was on the court — one who showed a level of seriousness and desire that had been absent for most of his career.

  • What he said: “Sometimes in life there is only one chance, and I had a feeling that was mine. I couldn’t let it slip. Standing here is the best moment of my life – period,” Bublik said, getting a bit choked up before adding a moment of levity. “Thank you guys, that was amazing. I’m standing here like I won the thing, but what can I say? I can’t cry here – come on, let me be in peace.”
  • And what he said: “I don’t think I’ve reached my best level this week. Then today just a couple of dips here and there, and he took advantage,” said Draper. “Usually when you play someone like Alexander, he’s quite up and down with his level, but he was completely locked in. He’s obviously been that way this week, and that’s why he's beaten de Minaur and top players...Yeah, it hurts a lot, but I just move on.”
  • Maybe not a total surprise: In the Court Theory Roland-Garros preview, we noted that in Draper’s outstanding clay season performances, he made his seemingly impossible strategy of simultaneously grinding and red-lining work in best-of-three and asked if he could do it in a best-of-five format. And, if he could do it, for how long would it be possible?
  • Next: Bublik faces Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

🎾 Another emotional victory: Lois Boisson, the 22-year-old French player ranked outside the top 300 in the world, stunned Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of Roland-Garros. It was an emotional win for Boisson, who was set to make her French Open debut last year but was kept out of the tournament with a knee injury that sidelined her for nine months.

  • What she said: “Playing on this court with this atmosphere was amazing,” Boisson told the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier. “I gave my all and in the end I won, which is just incredible. I hope I’m going to win it all.”
  • One big jump: With the win over Pegula, Boisson jumps up almost 250 spots to approximately 120 in the world when the new rankings come out, with a chance to grab some more points in the next round.
  • Next: Boisson faces Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

🎾 Kyrgios cuts grass: After pulling out of Roland-Garros doubles with Jordan Thompson at the last minute, Nick Kyrgios has ended his grass campaign before it began. On Tuesday, he said he would miss all of the grass season, including his big goal of playing Wimbledon, posting on social media, “I’ve hit a small setback in my recovery and unfortunately won’t make it back for grass season this year.”

And, that’s game.

What They Said

Ultimately, it’s true that we might feel more pressure for longer during a match, or throughout a tournament. I’ve always said that it’s in those moments of pressure that you can identify the great athletes, the way they handle all of that makes the difference between a truly great athlete and a good one...I always tell myself in those moments that I have to give more, I have to give something extra, I have to go for it and be unafraid.

-Carlos Alcaraz on handling pressure.

Watch This!

🔥 Lorenzo Musetti vs. Frances Tiafoe (Quarterfinals): Two hungry players who know each other’s games well? Yes, please. We have a newly focused Frances Tiafoe this Roland-Garros, and it’s paying off in major dividends in the form of straight-set wins every round thus far. This match will be different, though. Lorenzo Musetti, firmly in the top 10 after proving himself as the steadiest player throughout the clay season, has cut through some serious clay-courters to get to this round. If previous rounds are any indication, both players will put on a show. This match will likely come down to how well Tiafoe serves and maintains his focus, as he’s done in previous rounds.

  • The record: Frances Tiafoe leads the head-to-head record over Lorenzo Musetti. Tiafoe won their most recent meeting in Cincinnati, but Musetti took their only clay meeting in Rome in 2023.
  • On the line: For Musetti, a trip to the semifinals would mean jumping into the top five, while Tiafoe would return to the top 10.
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On The Radar

More tennis matches we’re monitoring today:

Roland-Garros - WTA (Clay)

  • Aryna Sabalenka vs. Qinwen Zheng (Quarterfinals)
  • Elina Svitolina vs. Iga Swiatek (Quarterfinals)

Roland-Garros - ATP (Clay)

  • Tommy Paul vs. Carlos Alcaraz (Quarterfinals)

📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.

Read, Watch, Listen

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For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.