Draper takes over from Andy Murray by advancing to the quarterfinals of the US Open
The young Jack Draper (22) this Monday became the first British tennis player to reach the quarterfinals of the United States Open since the recently retired Andy Murray in 2016. Draper, number 25 in the ATP, got rid of the Czech Tomas Machac (39th) by a resounding 6-3, 6-1 and 6-2 on the Louis Armstrong court, the second largest in Flushing Meadows (New York).
The tennis player from Sutton, who had fallen in his three previous fights against Machac, is taking perfect advantage of the early elimination of the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, which paved the way for him to achieve his best result in a Grand Slam.
“Today I was at a decent level and he (Machac) played at a slightly lower level,” noted the Briton. “Last year I lost in this round and it’s great to do better now.” Draper, 22, is trying to follow in the footsteps of his idol Andy Murray, who closed an extraordinary career in the Olympic Games in which he won a New York title (2012) and two Wimbledon titles (2013 and 2016). . “I obviously miss Andy,” he acknowledged. “He’s a legend. If I have half the career he’s had, then I’ll be a happy man.” Draper had the support from his box of Anna Wintour, the famous editor of Vogue magazine for whom the tennis player modeled before his participation in the last Wimbledon. His rival in the quarterfinals will come out of Monday’s Australian duel between Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson.
