US Open 2024: Jack Draper takes down Alex de Minaur to book a spot in the semi-final

Jack Draper has advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open following a strong victory in straight sets against 10th seed Alex de Minaur in his debut match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Draper won against the Australian player with a score of 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 to advance to his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final. He did not lose a single set in his first five matches.

He is now one of only eight British men to make it to the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, and just the fourth to achieve this at Flushing Meadows. The other three British men to do so at this tournament were Greg Rusedski in 1997, Tim Henman in 2004, and Andy Murray in 2008, 2011, and 2012.

Scoring his fourth victory against a top 10 player in his career, Draper is now only one match away from reaching the final of a Grand Slam tournament.

"It's incredible," Draper exclaimed. "Honestly, being able to play my first match on the largest court in the world is like a dream come true for me."

I believe I performed well in the match. I feel that my fitness level is the best it has been in a while, which is something Alex has previously exploited in our matches.

I believe he may have been facing some challenges today that may have given me a slight advantage, but I must give credit to Alex for his incredible determination and skills. I anticipate having many more competitive matches with him in the future.

He will compete against the champion of the 2021 season, Daniil Medvedev, or the top-ranked player, Jannik Sinner, in the semi-final match.

"I really love sports, especially tennis, so I'll make sure to catch the match if it doesn't run too late," he mentioned. "I'll just savor the victory and unwind."

With this victory, Draper has climbed to the 20th position in the ATP rankings, and he has the opportunity to be the tenth British man to reach the top 20 in the Open Era.

Similar to before, Draper went into the game having been defeated in all three previous encounters with his rival, however, it was De Minaur who seemed to be struggling in the beginning of the match.

The Australian player appeared to be having difficulty once more with a hip injury that had previously caused him to withdraw from the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Draper capitalized on this opportunity and managed to break De Minaur's serve in the first two games. Additionally, he only lost one point on his own first serve to win the first set.

Worries arose for the 22-year-old when he asked the physio to apply some strong bandaging during a break in the second set. It looked like De Minaur might have a chance to make a comeback in the match.

After trailing 5-2, the 10th ranked player in the world suddenly came alive and tied the score at 5-5. However, Draper's skill was evident once more in a crucial moment of the match. Despite facing adversity, he quickly regained the lead and ultimately won the set, dealing a decisive blow to his Australian opponent.

It was only a matter of time before he would take action in the third set. At 2-2, a couple of mistakes from De Minaur gave the Brit the opportunity to move ahead with a powerful forehand shot.

After the British player pushed aside another break point, it was the final blow for De Minaur. Draper went on to win five consecutive games in a row.

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