By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, September 4, 2024
No. 25-seeded Jack Draper soared past a hobbled Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 into his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open.
Photo credit: Garrett Ellwood/US Open/USTA
NEW YORK—Rockets rise next to the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Jack Draper turned Arthur Ashe Stadium into a launching pad today.
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Draper dropped major missiles soaring past a hobbled Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 into his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open.
It’s 15 sets up and 15 sets down for Draper in New York.
Contesting his 10th major, Draper has not dropped a set in five tournament victories reveling in this dream drive that's propelled him into the Top 20 in the ATP Live Rankings.
“It’s amazing,” Draper told ESPN’s Brad Gilbert afterward. “Honestly to be out here my first match on the biggest court of the world, it's a dream come true for me. Thank for all the support—it means the world.”
The left-handed Briton set the tone on serve.
The 22-year-old Draper won 42 of 50 first-serve points, pumped 11 aces against 2 double faults and delivered 5 love holds. Draper disarmed one of the game’s most accurate returners in de Minaur, who seemed to struggle with a leg issue that sapped some of his explosiveness on the stretch.
“I think I played a solid match,” said Draper after defeating de Minaur for the first time in four meetings. “I feel the best fitness-wise I’ve felt in a long long time.
“I also think he was struggling a little bit today which may have helped me al little bit. Credit to Alex. He’s an amazing fighter.”
A hip injury forced de Minaur to withdraw from his scheduled Wimbledon quarterfinal vs. Novak Djokovic last month and the Aussie was compromised today.
"I think, look, Jack is never easy to play in the best of times, and the way he can spread the court, being a lefty and really move you around the court, it takes a toll on the body," de Minaur said. "Accumulation of matches takes a toll, as well.
"But yeah, he played well. He deserves the win. He moved me around the court, and served great. In the few chances that I had I wasn't able to execute."
No. 25-seeded Draper is the first British man to reach the US Open semifinals since his buddy, Davis Cup teammate, Andy Murray won the 2012 Flushing Meadows title. Draper joins Murray, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski as the fourth British man in the Open Era to make the Flushing Meadows final four.
Draper, who had his right leg strapped up during today's match, will face either world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, in Friday’s semifinals. Sinner and Draper shared the court as doubles partners at the Canadian Open in Montreal last month.
“Yeah, it was a real good thing that we played doubles in Montreal. I loved being on court with him,” Draper said of Sinner. “Yeah, it was strange being on court with someone obviously that good. We played great doubles, and hopefully I get to play with him again.
“I think as a person, he's incredibly kind, genuine, funny, and that's more important than being the great player, but he's also an unbelievable player and great for the sport too.”
The 22-year-old Draper is the sixth player born in 2000s to advance to a Grand Slam semifinal, including the fourth to do it in New York.
Three years after compatriot Emma Raducanu made history as the first qualifier—male or female—to play through qualifying and win a Grand Slam singles crown at the 2021 US Open, Draper is now one match win from the men’s US Open final.
A dynamic Draper won eight of 10 points opening up a 4-1 lead as de Minaur, typically so strong hitting counterstrikes on the run, was spraying some shots.
On his sixth set point, Draper stepped into the court and scalded a crosscourt forehand to close a one-set lead in 39 minutes.
The Briton wearing the backward baseball cap was testing de Minaur’s forehand frequently. A Draper forehand winner and a cluster of three forehand misses from de Minaur gave the No. 25 seed the break for a 6-3, 2-1 lead.
After breaking for 2-1, Draper called for the trainer, who came out and applied heavy taping around his right thigh.
Across the net, de Minaur seemed to be struggling with a hamstring issue. Still, the Aussie bolted a backhand pass down the line for break point in the sixth game.
Draper drilled a forehand pass ending a 17-shot rally to save break point after de Minaur didn’t do enough with his forehand volley. The left-handed Briton bashed a pair of biting first serves holding for a 4-2 second-set lead.
It wouldn’t be a de Minaur match without a defiant stand. The Aussie delivered it, fighting off five break points as he clawed back from love-40 down to hold for 3-4.
That stand spiked de Minaur, who drew a series of errors breaking back to even after eight games. Hitting his forehand with more clarity, de Minaur drew and errant forehand holding for his first lead of the match at 5-4.
The normally unrelenting de Minaur flattened a forehand into net as Draper clinched his fourth break in 16 break points edging ahead 6-5.
On his third set point, the lefty Draper serve-and-volleyed sliding that serve wide on the deuce side to open the court then belting a backhand volley winner for a two-set lead after 95 minutes of play.
Combating the combination of Draper’s slider serve and crackling forehand was a challenge for de Minaur, whose forehand wasn’t withstanding the Britons’ attack. De Minaur committed 16 of his 25 unforced errors from the forehand side during the first two sets.
On this day, de Minaur could not produce a consistent answer for Draper’s dangerous forehand and his own forehand frailty.
"I think Jack has continuously improved every time we've played," de Minaur said. "Every year he's gotten better. He has the right work ethic. He's a great guy, great competitor, and yeah, he's doing the right things.
"He's got weapons, he knows how to use those weapons effectively. And look, he's yet to lose a set in this tournament, so he's got to be doing something right."
Dancing around his backhand, Draper lasered a lefty forehand winner down the line breaking for a 3-2 third-set lead.
Tempering power with patience, Draper erased a pair of break points, including knocking off a high forehand volley, then landed some slice serves confirming the break for 4-2.
Draper banged one final backhand to complete his best US Open win in two hours, seven minutes.
Jack Draper v. Alex de Minaur US Open Quarterfinal
Key Stat
Jack Draper nearly doubled Alex de Minaur’s winner total—40 to 21—and converted six of 20 break-point chances.
Turning Point Trailing 4-5 in the second set, Jack Draper won nine of the final 11 games to defeat Alex de Minaur for the first time in four meetings.
Impact Point The 22-year-old Draper won 42 of 50 first-serve points, pumped 11 aces against 2 double faults and delivered 5 love holds.
What’s Next In his maiden major semifinal, Jack Draper will play the winner of tonight’s quarterfinal between world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev for a spot in Sunday’s 2 p.m. final.