Fri. Nov 15th, 2024
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Jack Draper produced a brilliant display to reach the US Open quarter-finals with a straight-set win over Tomas Machac.

The Brit stormed to a 6-3 6-1 6-2 victory in just an hour and 44 minutes as he booked his place in the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Czech Machac had won the three previous matches between the pair but, after a strong start, was outclassed by a laser-focused Draper on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Draper, the 25th seed, will face the winner of the all-Australian contest between 10th seed Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson in the next round.

“Today I played a decent level,” Draper said.

“He was maybe a little bit off his best but I had to stay strong in the points. I lost here last year in the same round so it’s nice to come back and do better.”

The 22-year-old becomes the first Brit to make the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at Flushing Meadows since Andy Murray in 2016.

With a number of big names, most notably Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, having gone out early, Draper has yet to drop a set in the tournament and has every reason to believe he can go all the way.

This was a statement performance in what has been a breakthrough year for the 6ft 4in left-hander, one that has included his ATP title in Stuttgart and victory over Wimbledon champion Alcaraz at Queen’s.

More to follow.

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