US Open 2024: Jack Draper loses tough semi-final battle against Jannik Sinner

Jack Draper's impressive performance at the US Open was halted in the semi-finals by top-ranked player Jannik Sinner. Despite putting up a good fight, Draper ultimately fell in straight sets to the Australian Open winner.

Fighting against the highest-ranked opponent and extreme heat, the best British player put in a lot of effort but ended up losing the match in three sets after three hours and three minutes.

He departs Flushing Meadows after reaching his first semi-final in a Grand Slam tournament, making him just the fourth British man to achieve this at the US Open during the Open Era.

His amazing shows in New York have helped him climb to No.20 in the ATP live rankings, reaching a new personal best.

Draper is the third tennis player to have completed the LTA Pro Scholarship Programme, sponsored by Lexus, and advanced to the semi-finals of a major tournament in the past four years. The other two players to achieve this feat were Emma Raducanu at the US Open in 2021 and Cam Norrie at Wimbledon in 2022.

Draper has possibly been the best server in New York this week, but it was the Italian player who made the first move in a tough match. He managed to break Draper's serve at 3-3 after a powerful shot from Draper, but Draper quickly responded and regained the lead with four mistakes from his opponent, who was the 25th seed.

Nevertheless, the high level of moisture in the air posed a challenge for Draper as he approached the crucial part of the set. Even though he was leading 30-0 in his service game at 5-5, the Italian player wore him out in the extended rallies, causing Draper to sweat heavily on the court.

When the game was down to its second critical moment, the British player made a mistake by hitting a double fault, giving Sinner an edge. As a result, the top-ranked player was able to win the set.

Draper managed to defend against break points on three of his long service games at the beginning of the second set. He kept up the pressure on the Australian Open champion, putting everything he had into staying competitive. At one point, he pushed himself so hard that he almost vomited on the court as they approached the 4-4 mark.

In the next match, Sinner stumbled at the back of the court and landed awkwardly on his left wrist. He had to pause the game for medical attention, and it seemed concerning for a moment.

Draper continued to challenge Sinner's backhand, but as they neared the tie-break, Sinner's physical problems became too much to handle. Sinner had already won two difficult tie-breaks against Tommy Paul earlier in the week, and his ball striking improved even further as he gave Draper the extremely difficult challenge of coming back from a two-set deficit.

Even though he kept pushing through to hold his service games at the beginning of the third set, Sinner was relentless when he finally got a break point at 3-2. He sealed the deal with an impressive backhand winner, securing a solid lead that was impossible to overcome.

As the top-ranked player in the world hit a powerful backhand shot to win the set, the two competitors hugged at the end of the match, recognizing the intense battle that took place on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 22-year-old will be joining the Lexus GB Davis Cup team in Manchester next week as they compete against Finland, Argentina, and Canada in the Group Stages. Tickets can still be purchased starting at only £10.