(New York-Flushing Meadows) - Briton Jack Draper dismisses Paris Olympics mixed doubles tennis gold medalist Thomas Machac in straight sets to become the first British man to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Andy Murray in 2016 at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
World No. 25 Jack Draper cruises past Czech Tomas Machac with a statement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win after one hour and 42 minutes in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday.
Following a balanced opening set, the young player took control of action, getting the better of his opponent, staying the course, solid behind his serve.
In his on-court interview, he assessed his performance, commenting: “Today, I thought I played a decent level; he was maybe a little bit off his best, but I had to stay strong in the points, and it was amazing to play out here on Louis Armstrong.
“I lost last year here, in the same round, so it is nice to come back and do better this year.”
As he secured his spot in the last eight, he became the first British man to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Andy Murray in 2016.
In his post-match press conference, Sports Pundit asked Draper about his thoughts on reaching the feat.
“It’s an incredibly proud moment for me. It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world,” he said.
“To follow in Andy’s footsteps and make the quarterfinals here since he did it in 2016, it’s a big achievement for me. But I think I’ve just got to keep on going because I know there’s still room for improvement, hopefully, go further in the tournament. [I am] really, really proud of that achievement, and hopefully, I can do more.”
Machac’s nearly flawless run at the major concluded in the fourth round, unable to deliver his A-game.
A tight first set went on serves until Draper converted his first break point to take the ninth game as Machac hit an unforced error, one of the many that would end up costing him to drop his first set all tournament, sealing the first set 6-3 in 33 minutes.
The Czech player hit 16 unforced errors to just six from his adversary; moreover, his return game was notably lacking against the 25th seed, failing to force a single break point through the opener.
Early in the second set, the reigning Stuttgart champion stepped up the pressure, breaking the 23-year-old to take a 2-0 lead.
Two double faults by the Sutton born opened the door to conversation in the third game, but when the world No. 39 failed to convert the break, Draper did not hesitate to put to good use his powerful forehand, extending his advantage to 3-0.
Capitalizing on an erratic showing by his opponent, the 22-year-old earned a double break in the sixth game, marching to serve out for the set 6-1, one set away from a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.
In control of play, James Trotman’s pupil clinched the third set and the match, winning 65 percent of points on second-serve returns.
Contesting the fourth round at the US Open for the second straight year - lost to Andrey Rublev - Draper finished with 31 winners against 22 unforced errors, winning 79 percent of the points on his first serve.
On Wednesday, he will meet an Australian, which will surge from the clash between 10th seed Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson.
He moved past Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-0, 4-0 (retired) in the first round.
Then, he easily beat Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 before knocking out Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp, the man who shocked defending champion Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the third round.
