World no. 20 Jack Draper is through into the last eight at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo. The Briton notched his eighth quarter-final of the season following a 6-4, 6-4 victory over world no. 8 Hubert Hurkacz in an hour and 24 minutes, remaining on the title course.
The Briton performed well on serve and return en route to his fifth top-10 triumph in a career. Jack outplayed his rival behind the first and second serve, denying all three break points and delivering two breaks from seven opportunities, sealing the deal in straight sets.
Draper claimed eight points more than Hurkacz, prevailing in the pivotal moments and celebrating a notable win. The US Open semi-finalist fired 25 service winners and tamed his strokes nicely after adding 28 winners and 18 unforced errors to his tally.
Hubert fought nicely and landed more direct points than mistakes. However, he missed too many shots at the net and trailed in the shortest and mid-range exchanges.
Jack Draper defeated Hubert Hurkacz in Tokyo.
The Pole was off to a slow start, hitting a double fault and facing three break points in the first game of the encounter.
The Briton missed his chance on the third, allowing his opponent to bring the game home and avoid an early deficit. Draper played against two break points in the fourth game and saved them with service winners, leveling the score at 2-2 and making a push on the return in the next one.
Jack passed Hubert at the net, delivering a break and moving 3-2 in front. The US Open semi-finalist held after a deuce in the sixth game, cementing the break and extending the gap. The Briton fired an ace in the eighth game for 5-3 and served for the opener two games later.
A left-hander cracked a forehand down the line winner at 5-4, wrapping up the opener in 45 minutes and gathering a boost. They served well early in the second set, and it all changed in the fifth game, like in the opener.
Hurkacz missed a backhand, defending the first break point with a service winner before Draper generated the second after the rival’s loose backhand, opening a set and a break advantage. The Briton cemented the lead with a hold in game six before experiencing a break point at 4-3 after missing a forehand.
A left-hander denied it with a service winner and landed two winners to bring the game home and open a 5-3 advantage. Jack served for the win at 5-4 and created three match points with a service winner. World no. 20 seized the first with a backhand crosscourt winner, booking a place in the quarter-final.
Leave a Reply