British No 1 Jack Draper reaches his first Grand Slam quarter-final in impressive fashion as he demolishes Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac without dropping a set at the US Open
Jack Draper secured a spot in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament by beating Tomas Machac in the fourth round of the US Open.
Draper has always enjoyed playing in New York, where the fast courts favour his style of play. Now he can dream big, having not lost a set in his first four matches.
His form brings back memories of Emma Raducanu, who flew under the radar in 2021 and won the tournament, and Draper hopes to emulate her next week.
That remains a tough ask, but it may be his best chance yet to win a Grand Slam, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic already out and questions still lingering over Jannik Sinner over his anti-doping scandal.
He will have to overcome much greater obstacles than those thrown up by Czech player Machac, as Draper won 6-3 6-1 6-2, thanks in part to a run of 16 out of 19 matches.
Whatever happens, he will be the first Briton to reach the last eight since Andy Murray in 2016.
Draper was supported throughout by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who was in his box. While she may not have approved of his fuchsia shirt, she would have been impressed by his commanding display.
It was not until 3-3 in the first set that the tide turned completely in favour of the British number one, after three unforced errors from Machac earned him the break.
That was the second of seven consecutive games that saw him dominate the second set.
Draper didn’t have to go crazy, but served well and only had to wait for Machac to pass the ball around or make a double fault.
The Czech continued to deliver both performances regularly, allowing Draper to take complete control of the match and win in three sets in one hour and 44 minutes.