Jack Draper is enjoying a career-changing run at the 2024 US Open, and he continued it by downing Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
De Minaur opted to play at the US Open even though not many knew what to expect from him. He suffered a hip injury at Wimbledon, which left him unable to play at the Olympics, but he found something in New York.
The tennis side was never in question, but his health was, considering that a few weeks before, he barely could compete at all. It looked different because he was aggressive, a style he generally doesn't adopt, but it worked.
He won matches and got himself to a quarter-final against Draper, who himself had been on fire. It started in Cincinnati, where he won a couple of solid matches, and it continued at the US Open, where he booked his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.
He’s been amazing so far, winning all of his matches in straight sets, and it happened in the quarter-final again, even though he was pushed a bit more than in the matches before so far.
Draper has been crushing the ball really well, especially on his serve. The serve was always a major weapon for the Brit, but he’s backed it up with consistent hitting from the baseline, which hasn’t been the case often in his career.
Even against the speedy de Minaur, Draper regularly found solutions. The first set opened with an early break for him, but de Minaur could pull it back. Draper could then break once more for a 3-1 lead, and after that, he was able to cruise to the finish line without too many problems, winning the first set 6-3.
De Minaur just wasn’t hitting his shots. He’s been very aggressive at the event, but in this match, he wasn’t very precise. Thirteen unforced errors were too much in the opening set, especially in a match in which he didn't get too many chances.
The second one opened with an early break for Draper, who called for a medical time-out for an apparent leg issue. He could continue playing and didn’t look particularly hampered, even though de Minaur was able to break back and take a 5-4 lead, despite being down 2-4 and 0-40.
Still, the Brit held his nerve and closed out that second set on a late rally. De Minaur was the better player in the second set, but Draper was just too good late in the set, with 17 winners overall.
The final set didn’t really offer anything different. Draper was too dominant on his serve, leaving de Minaur very few chances. On return, the British player patiently waited for his chance, and it came midway through the set, which is when he broke to take a 3-2 lead and cruised after that.
The final score was 6-3, 7-5, 6-2, which is a great result for the Brit. Escaping in three is massive, as he kept his record perfect in New York, 15-0 in sets. In the semi-final of the tournament, he will play against the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, and it was clear how happy he was about his win when he spoke right after the match.
"It’s amazing. Honestly to be out here for my first match on the biggest court in the world. It’s a dream come true for me. Thank you for the support. It means a lot."
"I think I played a solid match. I feel the best fitness wise I’ve been in a long time. That’s where Alex has gotten me in the past. I also think he was struggling a bit with something, which may have helped me a bit. But credit to Alex. He’s an amazing player and fighter. We’re gonna have many more battles to come."
Jack Draper vs Alex de Minaur Match Stats:
| Jack Draper | Alex de Minaur | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Aces | 7 |
| 4 | Double Faults | 2 |
| 57% | First Serve % | 52% |
| 84% (42/50) | Points Won After First Serve % | 67% (32/48) |
| 49% (19/39) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 36% (16/44) |
| 30% (6/20) | Break Point Conversion | 29% (2/7) |
| 40 | Winners | 21 |
| 30 | Unforced Errors | 30 |
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