Draper survives scare to reach Queen's quarterfinals
LONDON: British second seed Jack Draper survived a scare to reach the Queen's Club quarterfinals with a gritty 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) win over Australia's Alexei Popyrin on Wednesday.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Draper was rocked by the world No. 21 in the first set of the second-round tie at the Wimbledon warm-up event.
But the 23-year-old hit back to level the match before taking the final set tie-break to complete his comeback in a tense encounter lasting two hours and 13 minutes in searing heat in west London.
Earlier in his career, such a test of endurance would have been too much for Draper, but he believes he is made of sterner stuff these days.
'Before I felt like my energy wasn't that strong, and I felt like I looked like a bit of a Ferrari but I was a bit of a Toyota, like broke down quite easy,' Draper said.
'Now I'm starting to feel generally stronger and confident in myself.
'I have felt better and better every Grand Slam I have played.'
Draper, who reached the US Open semifinals last year, is hoping to make a strong run at Wimbledon this year after failing to get past the second round in his previous three appearance.
The Londoner has made the last 16 at both the Australian and French Opens this year, rising to sixth in the ATP rankings.
If Draper can reach the Queen's semifinals for the first time after two previous last-eight exits, he will be guaranteed to be seeded fourth at Wimbledon when the grass-court Grand Slam gets underway on June 30.
After losing the first set against Popyrin, Draper's powerful ground-stroke dragged him level with a double break in the second set.
Popyrin clung on valiantly, saving two match points as he served at 4-5 in the final set.
In the tiebreak he led 4-2, pushing Draper to the brink of a shock defeat.
But the Briton delighted the home crowd as he won five of the last six points, clinching the victory with an ace.
Draper will play Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals after the American beat Britain's Dan Evans 7-5, 7-6 (7/4).
On the day he was awarded a wild card entry into Wimbledon, the 35-year-old Evans was unable to emulate his surprise first-round win against Frances Tiafoe.
In Wednesday's other matches, Danish fourth seed Holger Rune fought back to seal a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over American Mackenzie McDonald.
Rune, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023, plays Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals after the Spaniard beat Czech eighth seed Jakub Mensik 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno signs new three-year contract
The 51-year-old led Forest to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Vondrousova surprises Sabalenka to reach Berlin final
BERLIN: Marketa Vondrousova brushed aside world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Berlin on Saturday to reach her first final since lifting the Wimbledon title two years ago. The 25-year-old Czech, ranked 164 in the world rankings, dominated Sabalenka 6-2. 6-4, to set up a Sunday title clash with the winner of the other semifinal on the grass in Berlin between Wang Xinyu and Liudmila Samsonova. Vondrousova plummeted down the rankings from sixth after missing several months with a left shoulder injury for which she underwent surgery last year. 'I didn't play for a long time,' said Vondrousova, who was appearing in her first WTA semifinal since April last year. 'I'm just happy to be back healthy, and so grateful to play these matches. 'When I saw the field here, I was like, 'OK, let's just try to win the first round,' and then, you For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Sabalenka's first serve let her down in the opening set, but the Belarusian fought back to start the second with a break. Two games down Vondrousova levelled at 2-2, then broke to lead 5-4, wrapping up the win — her first ever over a world number one — but not before saving three consecutive break points, with an ace after one hour five minutes of play. Sabalenka, 27, was losing only her first semifinal in eight last four appearances in 2025. China's Wang beat French Open champion Coco Gauff on Thursday then reached the semis after Spanish opponent Paula Badosa retired having lost 6-1 in the first set. Her opponent, Samsonova, continued her excellent form on the grass after seeing off defending champion Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, and last weekend's Queen's finalist Amanda Anisimova this week.
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Nottingham Forest Extends Manager Nuno Espirito Santo's Contract After European Qualification
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been rewarded with a contract extension for leading the club to its first European qualification in almost 30 years. The 51-year-old Nuno signed a three-year deal to stay at the City Ground until at least 2028, the Premier League club said on its website Saturday. Nuno masterminded an incredible 2024–25 season for Forest, guiding the club to its highest league finish in 30 years and thus qualifying for UEFA European competition for the first time since 1995–96, the club said. Nuno's team enjoyed away wins over Liverpool and Manchester United and strung together the club's longest top-flight winning streak since 1967. Forest was on course for Champions League qualification after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 away in April, but only one more win in the last five games meant it had to settle for seventh place. Only the top five qualified for Europe's premier competition. Forest had to settle for the third-tier Conference League competition–and will learn its playoff-round opponent when the Aug. 4 draw is made. Club owner Evangelos Marinakis remonstrated with Nuno on the field after a 2–2 draw with Midlands rival Leicester dented its Champions League hopes. The club later said that Marinakis' concern was about the handling of injured player Taiwo Awoniyi. On Saturday, Marinakis only had words of praise. 'Nuno has made a great impact and performed very well during his time with us so far,' the Greek businessman said. 'He has demonstrated that he maximizes player performance and is an expert at developing players while also embedding our young talent into the first team set-up.' Nuno, who previously managed Wolves and Tottenham, took over at Forest from the fired Steve Cooper in December 2023 and helped the team avoid relegation on the final day of the season. 'I am delighted to be able to continue our journey at this fantastic football club,' the manager from the island country of São Tomé and Príncipe said of his contract extension. 'Since we arrived at Forest, we have worked extremely hard to create a special bond between the players, the fans, and everyone at the club, which helped us achieve great things last season.'
