Jack Draper equals best grand slam run to reach US Open fourth round
Jack Draper kept up his impressive performance in New York by making it to the fourth round of the US Open. He had a comfortable victory over Botic van de Zandschulp, who had beaten Carlos Alcaraz, with a strong 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Draper, the 25th seed, put on a very skilled display in the match. He was under a lot of pressure as the favorite, especially after Van de Zandschulp's surprising victory over Alcaraz. Draper performed well in crucial moments with his serves and controlled the baseline exchanges right from the start. He confidently attacked with his forehand throughout the match.
Just two days after his impressive victory, Van de Zandschulp couldn't perform at the same high level. Despite a rough start, he managed to put pressure on Draper with his powerful forehand and versatile game. However, he struggled after Draper took a two-set lead. In the final moments of the match, Van de Zandschulp made five consecutive double faults, shocking the audience in the Grandstand.
"I believe Botic performed amazingly well against Carlos," Draper expressed during his interview on the court. "It can be challenging to compete on a major platform against a player like Carlos and then have to bring your A-game in the next round, as it can be quite exhausting in that scenario. So kudos to him. Personally, I feel like I had a good performance today. It was a bit messy at times, with some ups and downs, but I managed to pull through in the end."
In the fourth round, Draper has matched his top performance in a major tournament, which he accomplished last year at the US Open. This time around, Draper has not lost a single set and is showcasing the finest tennis of his career. Following several surprising defeats in the early rounds, Draper's path in the tournament has become less challenging and he will now take on the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac, who is in top form, for a chance to advance to the quarter-finals.
