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The Independent
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jacob Fearnley knocked out of Queen's quarter-finals by Jiri Lehecka
Jacob Fearnley's Queen's Club run was halted in the quarter-finals in straight sets by Jiri Lehecka. The British number two looked heavy-legged in an error-strewn 7-5 6-2 defeat to the Czech world number 30. Fearnley was scheduled to play the opening match on the Andy Murray Arena despite a gruelling three-setter against Corentin Moutet the day before, followed by a win in the doubles – alongside Cameron Norrie – against Lehecka and Taylor Fritz. Lehecka got revenge for that defeat by preventing Fearnley from becoming the first British man to reach the semi-finals on his Queen's Club debut in 48 years. Fearnley coughed up eight double faults in the first set, including three in both the games in which Lehecka broke his serve. Lehecka struck again for 3-2 in the second after a Fearnley forehand landed a millimetre out and then ran away with the match, wrapping up victory in an hour and 17 minutes.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Queen's Club order of play, results and day three schedule
Second seed Jack Draper is back in action at Queen's today following an assured first-round win on Tuesday. The British No 1 dispatched Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-1 in front of a rapt crowd on the Andy Murray Arena, kicking off his grass-court season with a confident display. His opponent today is a tougher customer, however: world No 21 Alexei Popyrin, who beat compatriot Aleksandar Vukic in the first round, and who memorably dispatched Novak Djokovic at the US Open last year. Fourth seed Holger Rune and eight seed Jakub Mensik, who beat British No 2 Cameron Norrie on Monday, are also back in action on another busy day at Queen's. The order of play for today is below: Queen's Club order of play - Wednesday 18 June Andy Murray Arena from 12pm BST Roberto Bautista Agut v Jakub Mensik [8] Alexei Popyrin v Jack Draper [2] Daniel Evans [WC] v Brandon Nakashima Holger Rune [4] v Mackenzie McDonald [Q] Court One from 12pm BST Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard/Rajeev Ram v Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool [4] Matthew Ebden/Jordan Thompson v Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten [2] When is Jack Draper playing at Queen's? Jack Draper takes on Alexei Popyrin second on the show court at Queen's, the Andy Murray Arena. Play begins at 12pm, so Draper is likely to be on court around 1.30-2pm, depending on the length of the previous match. How can I watch? Viewers in the UK can watch main court action at Queen's, on the Andy Murray Arena, on the BBC, with coverage running from 1pm on BBC Two. The action will also be streamed live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button or BBC Sport. The men's tournament runs from Monday, 16 June until Sunday, 22 June.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jack Draper has proven his doubters wrong and is ready to win Wimbledon
To pinpoint the exact moment where British No 1 Jack Draper launched his ascent to the upper echelons of men's tennis, you'd need only go back 12 months this very weekend. Off the back of a disappointing first-round exit at the 2024 French Open, Draper broke his ATP title duck with a statement triumph on the grass in Stuttgart. That week, as he has since acknowledged, something clicked in his big-hitting, flamboyant lefty game. A few days later, the Brit outgunned Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's. While the Spaniard would go on to win his second title at SW19 a few weeks later, Draper slumped to a disappointing second-round loss to compatriot Cameron Norrie. However, what has followed has been splendid. A US Open semi-final, a title in Vienna last October and a Masters 1000 victory in Indian Wells in March – a tournament seen by many as the fifth Grand Slam. Yet, most impressive of all? A newfound physical and mental resilience to compete with the very best, week in, week out. The net result? A career-high ranking of world No 4 for the 23-year-old from Sutton. Frustratingly, he will enter Queen's on Monday at No 5, behind Novak Djokovic, with his Stuttgart points dropping off. But the race to be fourth seed at Wimbledon – with the prospect of avoiding the likes of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz until the semi-final – is very much on, as Draper returns to Queen's this week. The summer of '24 was a huge turning point. Draper, the son of former LTA chief executive Roger and ex-British junior tennis champion Nicky, has struggled immensely with injuries and physical fitness since turning professional in 2021. Shoulder and hip issues – remember Andy Murray 's issues with the latter – have plagued him, while he has regularly vomited on court in humid conditions. 'Coming into last year, the only goal was to stay fit and healthy,' Draper's long-term coach, James Trotman, told the ATP website in March. Interestingly, Draper's short-term coaching trial with South African ex-pro Wayne Ferreira last summer did not last more than a few months, with the Brit ultimately placing complete trust in Trotman, who is double his age at 46. 'We were at the point where it didn't matter how good he could be, or was going to be, our focus was to keep him fit. It's challenging to build up trust in your body again. It's not something that happens instantly. This has been a long journey. 'It wasn't just one injury, it was three or four on the back of each other. I thought that was enough. 'What are we going to do here, Jack? Who are the people we're going to put around you?' That was the first objective. It's okay to fail, but if we do, it's not because we're not trying.' Sporting a backwards cap at all times – Lleyton Hewitt-esque – Draper emits something of a braggadocio persona; yet that could not be further from the truth. First emerging in the public eye in 2018, Draper reached the final of junior Wimbledon, winning a marathon semi-final 19-17 in the final set after four hours and 23 minutes. His heart in the heat of battle has never wavered. Quickly, he was elevated to the role of hitting partner for the Great Britain Davis Cup team. 'There was a lot of potential there,' Trotman said of Draper, the junior. 'He was very small until the age of 15 or 16. He grew up as a smaller player, having to compete against bigger guys, having to defend and find ways of being competitive against the stronger players who could hit him off the court. 'His identity from a young age was to be a little bit more defensive. All of a sudden, he grows to 6' 4' and he's serving out of a tree and hitting the ball big. A big part of that coaching journey that we're still on today is to try and impose his weapons on the court and take the racquet out of his opponent's hand.' Draper was also able to learn from Murray during the latter stages of his career as part of the Davis Cup team, while showcasing his personality. Notably, GB's celebrations on the way back from the 2023 victory over France, where a young Draper, in a bucket hat and sipping a beer, belted out The Proclaimers' classic '500 Miles', with the viral video showing an unimpressed Murray. Whilst his raw ability – his fierce serve and swashbuckling forehand are his two greatest assets – has never been in doubt, his fitness over best-of-five set tennis has often been placed under the microscope. In fact, not unlike the early stages of Murray's career. Pleasingly, Draper dedicated his most recent off-season, when nursing a hip injury, to his physical conditioning and notably employed a breathing coach. 'I had a lot of problems with my sinuses when I was younger so I breathe a lot through my mouth,' explained Draper, having come through three back-to-back five-set matches at the Australian Open in January. 'When you are anxious or have long points and you have to recover quickly, it's not efficient to breathe through your mouth. So, I've been trying to reverse what I do and breathe through my nose a lot more.' Fast-forward six months, Draper is one of the fittest athletes on tour. So much so that the effervescent Alexander Bublik, prior to beating the Brit in the fourth round, said to him at Roland Garros: 'Are you getting ready for UFC?!' Now firmly rooted in the top 10 in the rankings, Draper does not want his upward trajectory to stop. The Putney resident was back on court at Queen's ahead of the tournament, hitting with former world No 14 Kyle Edmund, who knows a thing or two about career-impacting injuries. Draper will play just one warm-up tournament, at Queen's, before Wimbledon. While still a step short of Sinner and Alcaraz's insane level of consistency, as shown by their magnificent five-hour-plus Roland-Garros final, the Briton has the potential to cause an upset if either player has an off day. He has beaten both Sinner and Alcaraz at Queen's, in 2021 and 2024. His hard-hitting game is well-suited to the quick nature of grass-court tennis. And should the draw surprisingly open up at any point, he will be ready to pounce at SW19.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jack Draper crashes out of the French Open after suffering shock defeat to Alexander Bublik
Jack Draper crashed out of the French Open in a shock fourth-round defeat by world number 62 Alexander Bublik. The British number one and fifth seed seemed to have his head scrambled by the unpredictable slugger from Kazakhstan as he slumped to a 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 loss. Advertisement It meant an end to Britain's hopes in the singles at Roland Garros after Cameron Norrie, somewhat less surprisingly, was beaten by Novak Djokovic about an hour earlier. Instead, 27-year-old Bublik became the first Kazakh man to reach a grand slam quarter-final. Draper had matched Bublik serve for serve in the first set until he was gifted the break for 6-5 by a double-fault. The 23-year-old also broke at the start of the second, but from then on things just seemed to unravel. Bublik, to his credit, was hitting the ball gloriously at times, his drop-shots repeatedly leaving Draper stranded. The stress on Draper's face was there for all to see as Bublik marched into a 2-1 lead, with the Londoner simply unable to halt the momentum. Advertisement In a marathon final game Draper saved a match point and had five break points, but was unable to take any of them. In the build-up to the match Bublik had compared Draper to a UFC fighter, but after two hours and 34 minutes it was the 6ft 5in underdog who landed the knockout blow. Bublik said afterwards: "You know sometimes in life there is only one chance. I had a feeling that I was mine and I couldn't let it slip. "Standing here this is the best moment of my life. That's amazing, monsieurs et madames, thank you very much." Grinning from ear to ear as the crowd gave him a standing ovation, he hilariously cut short his on-court interview. "You know I'm standing here like I won the thing," he added. "I could cry here. Stop. I still have a match to go. I'm a professional tennis player. I have to get ready."
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev start time: When is French Open quarter-final?
Novak Djokovic faces Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster French Open quarter-final as the Serbian continues his bid for a record-extending 25th grand slam singles title. Djokovic is yet to drop a set at this year's tournament and defeated Cameron Norrie on Monday to claim his 100th career win at Roland Garros, as well as his 19th French Open quarter-final. Zverev, the third seed, will be the toughest test Djokovic has faced by far, with the German having reached last year's final in Paris where he lost in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev won his last meeting with Djokovic, but that came when the 38-year-old retired from their Australian Open semi-final after losing the opening set on a tiebreak. Here's everything you need to know. When is Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev? The match has been scheduled for the night session, which won't start before 7:15pm BST (UK time) on Wednesday 4 June. It could start later than that if the previous matches run over. French Open order of play - Wednesday 4 June (from 10am BST) Court Philippe-Chatrier Madison Keys [7] vs Coco Gauff [2] Mirra Andreeva [6] vs Lois Boisson Jannik Sinner [1] vs Alexander Bublik not before 7.15pm Alexander Zverev [3] vs Novak Djokovic [6] What happened in the fourth round? Djokovic defeated Norrie in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, to extend his winning streak on clay after winning the title in Geneva before the French Open began. 'I can always expect myself to play better,' he said. 'Considering the opponent's form, as well, and the last‑16 round and the occasion, I think was a very good match. From my side, a very solid performance.' Zverev progressed to his fifth consecutive French Open quarter-final after his opponent Tallon Griekspoor retired while trailing 6-3 4-0, having struggled with an injury during the match. Zverev has won his last four French Open quarter-finals but trails the head-to-head against Djokovic 8-5. However, they have only played each other twice from the 2022 season onwards, with the record 1-1.
