US Open 2022: Jack Draper upsets sixth seed to reach third round on New York debut
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Jack Draper is through to the third round of the US Open on his debut in New York after completing one of the biggest wins of his career so far against against sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Playing on the world-renowned Louis Armstrong Court for the first time in his career, Draper put in a dazzling display to defeat the world No.8 6-4, 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes. He'll face 27th seed Karen Khachanov in the third round.
The result marked Draper’s second career victory over a top 10 opponent, having defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas only a few weeks ago in Montreal.
"Obviously Felix is an incredibly tough opponent, that's why he's at the top of the game,” said the 20-year-old British star.
“I played a really good match today, it was a special occasion out here. I've put in a lot of hard work the last few years. I've been unfortunate with injuries at a young age, I grew very quickly. I always had the tennis abilities, it's been about staying fit and staying on court.”
Another big step for the young Brit – who is supported by the Pro Scholarship Programme – takes his record during the hard court season to 9-2 and takes him to 46 in the ATP live rankings. This should see Draper break into the top 50 for the first time in his career.
This will also mark the first time Britain has had four men inside the top 50 within the Open Era – joining Cam Norrie, Dan Evans and Andy Murray, who are all still in the singles draw at Flushing Meadows.
It was a dominant display from the start as Draper asserted his combination of power and variety from the opening game, securing the early break. He only faced three break points throughout the whole match, all of which came with the Brit serving for the opening set at 5-4, but he held off the Canadian’s challenge in style with a flurry of impressive winners.
Draper’s big serve was on full display for the world to see as picked up 84% of points when he landed his first serve – impressive numbers against the former Wimbledon semi-finalist.
Despite his inexperience, Draper seemed to manage the big stage better than his opponent. Keeping his cool throughout the match and playing with a level of consistency that Auger-Aliassime couldn’t match, with the Canadian racking up over double the amount of unforced errors.
There was also an impressive win for Andy Murray last night, who came from a set down to knock out Emilion Nava 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 to set up a mouth-watering third round clash with Matteo Berrettini.
