Bublik makes a spectacular backhand winner cross court to put the game at 15-15, refusing to let the break deter him.
Then, before another victor gets him to 15-30, he pushes Draper into the corner.
Pressure on the Briton's serve. However, he exhibits steely guts to cling to thirty. Bublik was a persistent danger in the opening set, which he won thanks to the tremendous hold.
Bublik 5-7 Draper
Djokovic has a look at the break on Norrie's serve and takes it. He will serve for a two-set lead.
After a few Bublik errors, he is given an opening at 30-30. He then raises a break point with a backhand that appears to be deceptively out but is deemed good.
Has a look at the match's opening break point.
Bublik blinks on his serve and gives Draper the opportunity he's been looking for.
For the Draper service game, he gets a look at the new balls.
Before a smash puts him at 15-0, the Briton enters the net early. D
raper's serve was better; he holds to love and makes a stunning drop shot and touch at the net on the last point. That was a firm grip from the British.
The pair trade powerful forehands from the back of the court until the Briton whips a winner down the line for 15-0, more top-tier play from both players.
Although the Kazakhstani has excellent touch and groundstrokes, Bublik is known for being a disruptor.
Gets on at 15-15 with a beautiful backhand winner down the line. With large, thunderous double-handed backhands being traded from the back of the court, there is no shortage of power in this encounter.
However, Draper is the more dominant player in this set, holding to 15 and finishing with his 25th ace of the tournament.
She joined the TNT desk with Venus Williams & Sloane Stephens, asked about the significant of the generations of black American players and she said: “It feels surreal. Venus is someone I looked up to for a long time, and Sloane too.
"I remember hitting with Sloane when I was like 8 years old. I had a birthday party at maybe 10 or 11.. she surprised me and showed up. I felt like the coolest kid ever having her come.
"Just to be alongside the two of them is very cool. To have that moment wasn’t something I was expecting. Very honored that they were both enthusiastic for me to be there. Honestly, I was just probably more excited, too.”
Novak Djokovic has decided to use drop shots as his weapon of choice today.
He's had mixed results with them thus far, and Cameron Norrie is aware of the risk now. As Djokovic lifts another over, the Briton is already charging forward, and this time, Norrie hits a winner on the run.
However, Norrie is unable to pose a threat to the sixth seed in this match, as Djokovic uses a final ace to establish a hold and advance 4-1 after that break exchange.
Djokovic 4-1 Norrie*
In the Keys-Baptiste battle, 6-3, 7-5, the Australian Open champion had a difficult fight, but she prevails with a few clinical victories.
Cameron Norrie gets broken back right away since he doesn't use his break. This is the reason Novak Djokovic is so difficult. Djokovic instantly applies pressure to his opponent with a break of serve, even after a game in which he had a sloppy serve.
The 24-time slam champion hopes to gain ground and dominate this opening set.
In another match, Madison Keys is serving for the victory after breaking Baptiste in the eleventh game of the second set, although he is now down 15-30.
Novak Djokovic seemed to have solid control of the set.
He likes to play Norrie, and he has recovered from everything the Brit throws at him. He has good net play, and in the third game of the set, he takes a drop shot to take a 15-0 lead.
Djokovic then opens the door for Norrie after hitting the net a few times. Djokovic plays a backhand to regain the break point opportunity that the Brit had.
However, Norrie perseveres. He holds Djokovic at bay and even puts him on the defensive once or twice, and the Brit wins the following two points.
The set is placed back on serve when there is an instant breakback.
The big one, Norrie vs. Djokovic, is coming up next - the pair are warming up on court.
Over five matches, the Briton has never defeated Djokovic.
In their grand slam meeting at Wimbledon in 2022, they squared off once, with the Serb winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Additionally, the two have faced off against one another once this season, in the semi-final on the Geneva clay two weeks ago.
The 24-time Major winner is seeking is 100th win at the French Open.
A brief update on the going-ons of Suzanne-Lenglen: Hailey Baptiste is fighting hard against Keys in the second set, which is 4-4 after the former won the first.
