Draper into first Slam semifinal: 'Not an overnight thing"

Jack Draper advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Alex De Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday at the US Open and became only the sixth male since 2020 to reach that far without dropping a set in any match at one Grand Slam tournament. Draper, No. 18 seed at Wimbledon this year, moved swiftly through to become one of four men competing at this year’s final four event without dropping even one set during any set played between now and the US Open final four. British No. 25 seed Jordan Thompson used an impressive serve that reached 128 mph to set up many of his 40 winners while breaking 10th-seeded De Minaur’s serve six times, an accomplishment which stunned even him. “This match has been incredible!” Thompson exclaimed afterward. Draper described playing his debut match on one of the world’s grandest courts as “my dream come true.” Draper is now one of only three British men since Andy Murray won in 2012 to reach the US Open semifinals, as his former world No. 1. “I don’t speak much with Andy these days”, Draper noted he noted Murray hasn’t spoken much but noted he enjoyed retirement a great deal himself despite falling just one game shy. Editor’s Pick2 RelatedVeroffentlichung Draper is now British as his former World No. 1. Draper said the No. 1 was always there when needed and feels relaxed, taking things day by day while looking ahead. Draper will face top seed Jannik Sinner who defeated No. 2. Daniil Medvedev won his way through to Friday’s semifinals without dropping a set, the year prior to winning 2021’s crown. Neale Fraser won his only Wimbledon Championship without dropping a set in 1960; Draper now makes history, becoming only the second ATP top-10 player since June to defeat De Minaur after knocking off No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club. Before then, Draper held only an 11-2 record against the top-10 players on the ATP Tour. De Minaur pulled out of his quarterfinal match at Wimbledon due to an injury, though felt things had been heading in an upward trajectory until today when things changed suddenly and unexpectedly. “Today was not ideal in my eyes”, De Minaur noted. “Jack is always difficult to play against in terms of strategy and physicality, being left-handed he takes an incredible toll on one’s body when playing so aggressively across a court surface,” De Minaur commented. Accumulating matches also adds pressure. De Minaur stated “Jack deservedly earned this win…” “On my few chances to execute, I wasn’t successful. “YearPlayerResult2024Jack Draper?2012Andy MurrayWon Title2011Lina KuertenL, SF2008Andy MurrayL, Final2004Tim HenmanL,SF1997Greg RusedskiL, Final– ESPN Stats&InformationDraper has battled through physical ailments of his own; beating No. 17 seeds at Wimbledon before falling at Wimbledon as No. 16. Felix Auger-Aliassime made an impressive US Open debut as the No. 8 seed in 2022, before suffering leg and then shoulder injuries and missing much of 2023 due to their respective sidelines. “Last year was an eye-opener for me as an athlete when my injuries hit, forcing him to take time off over summer, watching incredible young players win amazing tournaments while I suffered through physical rehab,” Draper stated. “When playing on one of the biggest stages in the world, I felt as if I weren’t making enough progress myself. This has not happened overnight for me; rather I have believed for quite some time now that my hard work and efforts would eventually pay off; my time would come!” “That moment came on Wednesday against Alex De Minaur, an Australian player who had won all three meetings between the two of them. Draper felt good fitness-wise before playing De Minaur: ‘I feel great overall; and Alex seems to get it from where it needs to go,” Draper noted. De Minaur noted Draper may have been experiencing some difficulty today with something, which allowed for greater leverage against him. “He knows how to use those weapons effectively,” De Minaur praised him as an asset on court. “He hasn’t lost a set so far this tournament; that must mean something is working well for him. Starting off the year ranked No 61 worldwide, Draper now appears certain of breaking into the top 20 ATP rankings for the first time ever.” This report was prepared with assistance from ESPN Stats & Information, The Associated Press and Reuters.