British No 1 Jack Draper beats reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s in straight sets… days after claiming his first ATP Tour title

Jack’s summer continues as the British No. 1 secured the biggest win of his life, ending Carlos Alcaraz’s defense of the cinch championship.

World number 2 Alcaraz had a 13-match unbeaten run on grass, having also won Wimbledon last year, but Draper played with poise, precision and – crucially – aggression to win 7-6, 6-3 at the Queen’s Club.

The 22-year-old had never previously beaten a player from the world’s top four and by breaking Alcaraz’s streak, Draper extended his own: he is unbeaten in seven matches on the grass court after winning the title in Stuttgart . His process of developing a new, ultra-attacking style was painful, but came to fruition just in time for Wimbledon.

He faced only one break point and hit eight aces. He will be favorite to beat Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals on Friday.

On a 22°C day – the best weather of the week here at Baron’s Court – a fast grass court played even faster and it took until the 17th match for a break point.

Draper took the first set on a tiebreak, before dominating the Spaniard 6-3 in the second

Alcaraz, who won Wimbledon last year, suffered a shock defeat against the new British No. 1 on Thursday

These two know each other well, first meeting as teenagers in 2019 when they played a practice match at the Royal Albert Hall. Draper worked with Tim Henman, Alcaraz was with his coach and mentor Juan Carlos Ferrero. Watching that match again, the youngsters’ natural gifts are plain to see: the easy power of Draper, the extraordinary wizardry of Alcaraz.

Alcaraz won their two previous senior meetings, but he was partying in Ibiza last week to celebrate his victory at Roland Garros, while Draper won the first title of his career on the grass of Stuttgart. That’s quite a gap in preparation and although the Spaniard played well enough here, he was well below his best and threw in a stinking tiebreak in the first set. The 21-year-old will be much improved by the time the defense of his Wimbledon title begins.

Draper, under new coach Wayne Ferreira, has developed an attacking style that suits his 6-foot-4 height. During the clay season he looked like a lost boy at times, but with that title in Stuttgart everything came together and now he not only looks like a man; he looks like the (italicized) man.

After the stunning victory, Draper said: ‘Carlos is the defending champion here, incredible talent and so great for the sport. I had to play really well today and luckily I did, thank you.

‘There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with all my friends and family. I have my grandpa here, just turned 80, he is doing well! My mother, I have my school friends there – and you (audience). Thank you thank you.’

Draper’s biggest motivation in changing his approach is to improve his chances against the very best players: he had lost his last eight matches against top-10 players to date.

And he showed that aggressive intent in a first set dominated by service, playing a flawless tiebreak to make it 7-3.

Alcaraz was – unusually for him – shouting at his box early in the second set. He had not lost a match since April in Madrid and had no intention of starting now.

But a first break point of the match arrived on the Alcaraz serve at 2-3 and Draper hit a backhand return winner. How satisfying that must have been for Ferreira to see his student go bankrupt with a ball he might have just pushed back into play a year ago.

Draper has developed an attacking style under new coach Wayne Ferreira

Alcaraz, who won the French Open this month, had a tough afternoon against Draper

Alcaraz came hard at him in the next game, forcing a break point himself, but on the pressure points Draper hit a serve-volley twice and hit a couple of ugly but very effective two-handed half-volley drop shots. The crowd at the Queen’s Club, basking in the sun, was now cooing positively.

Alcaraz put up a rearguard, held two match points down at 2-5 and then went ahead 30-0 on the Draper serve. But Draper stuck to his big guns and won four points in a row to win the match.

He is the first British player to beat a top two player on grass since Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final.

What an achievement this was. And what a turnaround from a defeat in the first round of the French Open against qualifier Jesper de Jong. Draper hasn’t lost since – and it seems unlikely to happen again this week. Title #2 may come on the heels of #1.