Young Jack Draper, a 21-year-old British tennis player, has become an unexpected standout at the U.S. Open. Despite suffering from a shoulder injury that forced him to retire from a previous match, Draper has managed to reach the fourth round of the tournament, surpassing more well-known British players like Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie, and Daniel Evans.
Draper expressed his determination to compete and not just be satisfied with participating, stating, “I’m not here just to, you know, be here and be happy to play. I’m a competitor when I get into the matches.”
He achieved a surprising straight sets victory over 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the second round and defeated American wild card Michael Mmoh in the third round, showing remarkable composure and skill despite his limited experience. Following his win over Mmoh, Draper shared, “I’ve never won a four-set match before… to do it at this level, I’m very pleased with myself.”
This victory marks a significant milestone for Draper, who had to retire in the third round of the Flushing tournament last year. However, his journey continues to present challenges as he faces eighth seed Andrey Rublev in the fourth round. Rublev has previously won in both of their meetings. Rublev secured his spot in the next round by defeating Arthur Rinderknech of France in a four-set match.
Reflecting on his progress and perseverance, Draper stated, “To come here a year on, despite maybe my ranking having dropped a fair bit because of the injuries and not being able to be on the same confidence level that I was last year, you know, I’m incredibly proud of that. And, hopefully, I can keep going this week.”
Young Jack Draper’s unexpected success at the U.S. Open has captivated tennis fans and demonstrated his ability to overcome adversity. As he prepares to face a challenging match against Andrey Rublev, Draper remains determined to continue his impressive performance in the tournament.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Credit: The Star : Sport Feed
