Jack Draper is through to the semi-finals of the US Open, with the British No 1 making light work of 10th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3 7-5 6-2 to set up a date against good friend and world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
Draper’s victory means he is the first British man to reach the final four at Flushing Meadows since Andy Murray won the tournament in 2012.
The 22-year-old will next face top seed Sinner after the Italian defeated 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev 6-2 1-6 6-1 6-4 on Wednesday night in New York.
Draper bossed things from the start against an off-colour De Minaur, with reports coming through before the match that the Australian had cut his earlier practice session short.
Draper took full advantage, with two breaks of serve allowing him to take the opening set – although he missed five set points before eventually claiming the sixth when whipping a cross-court forehand home.
Having been stunted by injury problems earlier in his career, Draper then seemed to be struggling with a hamstring complaint in the second set which briefly derailed his dominance.
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Laura Robson discusses Draper’s standout moments
Up 4-2 and with five opportunities to secure a second break of De Minaur passing him by, Draper was then broken back in the next game to see the set go back on serve at 4-4.
But Draper did not wobble and would eventually get the all-important break at 6-5 before serving out for a two-set lead.
The British hopeful was then dominant in the third as he wrapped up a straight-sets win to ensure he has still yet to drop a set in the tournament.
His run here is reminiscent of fellow Brit Emma Raducanu’s journey to the title in 2021 without dropping a set. Draper has won 15 straight en route to the semi-finals.
For De Minaur, whose girlfriend is British women’s No 1 Katie Boulter, it is a third-straight quarter-final loss at a Grand Slam and fourth of his career.
In the final quarter-final match, Sinner left Medvedev disappointed again having beaten him in the Australian Open final earlier this year.
Medvedev had defeated the Italian in the Wimbledon quarter-finals but could not crack the code this time with 57 unforced errors proving costly.
Sinner is now the heavy favourite, not only to beat Draper in Friday’s semi-final, but also to claim a second Grand Slam title.
“It was very tough, we know each other quite well, we played in Australia and London, so we knew it was going to be very physical,” Sinner said. “It was a very strange two sets. I am very happy.
“It is amazing to play here, I am very happy to be in the semi-finals in New York for the first time.”
Draper: A dream come true
Jack Draper, speaking courtside after his quarter-final victory:
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Draper says it is a dream come true to reach the US Open semi-finals
“It’s amazing. Honestly, to be out here in my first match on the biggest court in the world it’s a dream come true for me. It means the world.
“I think I played a solid match. I feel the best fitness-wise I’ve been in a long, long time and I think that’s where Alex has got me in the past.
“I also think he was maybe struggling a bit today with something which may have helped me a little bit.
“But credit to Alex he’s an amazing fighter and an unbelievable player and we’re going to have many more battles to come.”
Draper to face doubles partner Sinner next
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During his press conference, Draper elaborates on his friendship with Jannik Sinner
Jack Draper, speaking during his press conference about world No 1 Sinner:
“We’ve always kept in touch since I’ve been on tour the last couple of years. Jannik is a good friend, someone I’m definitely close to,” he said.
“We send each other messages in good moments, bad moments. It’s a tough sport to play when you’re a young guy. You’re on the road, you’re playing such a relentlessly intense sport, both physically, emotionally, and it’s difficult, we haven’t got many friends. So to sort of have the support of someone who’s going through it themselves is really big.
“Huge respect for Jannik and it was amazing to play doubles with him in Montreal. I think we played great doubles together. I’d never won a doubles match on the tour, so to play obviously with the No 1 player in the world was amazing and definitely learned a lot about playing doubles and had a lot of fun with him.
“It was really nice to be able to step out on court with him. I’m sure we will continue to stay in touch.”
Henman: Draper can be so proud
Sky Sports’ Tim Henman:
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Tim Henman, Marion Bartoli and Feliciano Lopez offer a detailed insight into Draper’s quarter-final victory
“I think he [Draper] can be so proud of so many different aspects. He played great tennis.
“He obviously had his challenges physically. It’ll be interesting to hear how that leg is feeling.
“But also mentally – there were a lot of opportunities to get distracted out there. He came out of them.
“He stamped his authority on the first set and looked comfortable and then in the second set he had a lot of opportunities.”
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Sky Sports’ Danyal Khan is joined by Marion Bartoli to discuss Draper’s win
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (9-15 September)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (16 -22 September – with Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16 -22 September)
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