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That’s the 13th consecutive set Draper has won this tournament.
Draper wins the first set 6-3
Quiz time. Draper is the fifth British player to reach the US Open men’s quarter-finals. Who are the others? Answers on a postcard. Or ping them to me here. At 15-all, a 20-shot rally ensues, with De Minaur cranking up the intensity on each shot and eventually prevailing. That was one of his best points of the match. But Draper reminds the Australian that he can’t be intimidated easily and wins the next baseline duel. 30-all. A brave change-up from Draper as he moves forward after a second serve and here’s a fifth set point. Again Draper decides to take matters into his own hands by charging forward but miscues his volley. Deuce. Followed by a break point for De Minaur – which Draper dismisses with a strong serve. And here’s set point number six … an unfortunate slip for De Minaur allows Draper to take it with a forehand winner!
First set: *Draper 5-3 De Minaur (*denotes next server)
Draper’s return has De Minaur reeling. It’s 0-30 for the fourth De Minaur service game in a row. And Draper gobbles up another second serve to give himself three set points at 0-40. De Minaur lands a rare winner with an inside-out forehand. And he shows great resolve to win the next two points as well. Deuce. But he just can’t shake Draper off; soon the Brit has a fourth set point. This time De Minaur dispatches a backhand winner. And then, with Draper a sitting target at the net, De Minaur fires straight at his opponent … Draper gets his racket to the ball in self defence but isn’t getting that back into play. De Minaur holds from there, but Draper will now serve for the set.
First set: Draper 5-2 De Minaur* (*denotes next server)
Draper glides to 40-15 courtesy of another ace, but is then left slipping and sliding to his right and he can’t get the ball back. 40-30. But De Minaur can’t make any further inroads, as Draper sends down another stinging serve. De Minaur, despite the boost of that hold in the previous game, still looks a little subdued, he’s not his normal relentlessly energetic self.
First set: *Draper 4-2 De Minaur (*denotes next server)
Given the talk about De Minaur’s physical condition before the match, it’s interesting to see his first-serve percentage is down at 50% and he’s already hit nine unforced errors. He could easily be two break points down again but Draper, charging forward, nets as the crowd gasp, so it’s 30-all instead. Draper drills long and it’s 40-30, cue a “C’MON” from De Minaur. And then a “YEP” as he holds. That’s De Minaur’s first hold of the match.
First set: Draper 4-1 De Minaur* (*denotes next server)
Draper decides it’s time to stamp his serving authority, balancing out those two double faults in his previous service game with two aces, before rounding things off with a searing forehand winner. So this time he’s able to consolidate the break.
Draper breaks: *Draper 3-1 De Minaur (*denotes next server)
Draper does well to land the overhead for 0-30. He’s never played on Arthur Ashe before, it’s so much bigger than any other tennis stadium with a capacity of 24,000, and while the court size is the same the backdrop could be a bit discombobulating for the 22-year-old. But it’s De Minaur who looks the more confused in this game, again giving Draper two break points at 15-40. De Minaur fends off the first but can’t save the second as his forehand skews wide. Draper re-establishes his advantage after three successive breaks.
De Minaur breaks: Draper 2-1 De Minaur* (*denotes next server)
Draper’s level drops at he double faults for 15-30. He could do with landing a few more first serves here, if I’m being picky. And from 30-all, another double fault gives De Minaur an immediate chance to break back. And the Australian takes it when Draper nets! That’s only the second time Draper’s been broken at this tournament and he’ll be absolutely kicking himself; after sprinting out of the blocks he’s stumbled backwards with four unforced errors.
Draper breaks: Draper* 2-0 De Minaur (*denotes next server)
De Minaur, unusually slow on his feet, drops 0-30 down. He’s yet to win a point. But he gets off the mark when Draper biffs a backhand into the net. Maybe that’ll help De Minaur settle. So it’s 15-30, and the longest rally so far plays out, plenty of ooohs and aaaahs from the crowd … and Draper shows great feel to flick a backhand cross-court winner. Two early break points. Another lengthy exchange and De Minaur blinks! Draper has the perfect start in the biggest match of his career.
First set: Draper 1-0 De Minaur* (*denotes next server)
Draper has been virtually impenetrable on serve this tournament, having been broken only once, and the British No 1 starts as he means to go on. 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game, as De Minaur uncharacteristically nets a fairly routine forehand. Is that a sign that all is not right with the Australian physically? Perhaps we’ll get more idea on De Minaur’s own serve.
Interesting thoughts from De Minaur ahead of this match. This is what he said after his last-16 win:
It’s the quarterfinals of a slam, so I’m going to go out there and give it my all and compete. These matches are there to be won, being passive is not going to get the job done. So I’m looking forward to the opportunity and excited for the match.
Coming in, I didn’t have too many expectations. [My] hip wasn’t close to 100 per cent. It wasn’t feeling amazing. I just was going to go out there and see what I was able to do. Slowly it’s been feeling better and better each day. So all of a sudden, everything has happened with the draws, a lot of upsets, and you’re staring at this opportunity.
In a way, it’s been a blessing in disguise, because I haven’t put too much pressure on myself, because I know how I felt with my hip. But at the same time, every day I felt better and better. So hopefully I’m peaking for the right moment.
Draper’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s got some very big weapons; his serve, backhand, and forehand at times. So it’s always tough facing someone like him, especially a lefty.
Let’s talk tactics. This match is the power of Draper’s serve and forehand v De Minaur’s consistency. Draper will hope he can pierce De Minaur’s defences with controlled aggression; De Minaur will hope he can wear Draper down and force him to go for too much and make the errors. But Draper isn’t all about power. He can mix it up and is more than capable of coming to the net.
The 6ft 4in Draper needs to serve aggressively and his lefty serve could cause De Minaur problems; De Minaur isn’t a big server, so Draper should get chances on the return.
In terms of the mental side, the pressure is on De Minaur. For the first time in his career, in his fourth grand slam quarter-final, he’s the favourite. And there’s also the potential issue of whatever caused the Australian to curtail his practice session earlier. “He was looking pale and sweaty,” Tim Henman reports.
The players have made it on to court. De Minaur is all energy, channeling his inner Nadal as he jumps up and down at the coin toss despite his subdued practice session earlier.
Muchova’s victory means that we’re probably about 10 minutes away from Jack Draper v Alex de Minaur. So it’s time for a copy-and-paste of my earlier preamble:
Two months ago, amid Andy Murray’s tearful farewell to Wimbledon and Jack Draper’s first grand slam tournament as the British No 1, Draper was anointed by the scriptwriters as Murray’s ready-made successor, someone who could grasp the baton immediately and carry home hopes that fortnight. He’d had an eye-catching build-up to Wimbledon, beating Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s and winning his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart, but he couldn’t adjust to the increased expectations and the 22-year-old was bundled out in the second round by the British No 2 Cameron Norrie, who then lost in the next round himself.
But here Draper is, just one grand slam later, playing in his first major quarter-final, eight years after Murray’s last appearance at this stage of US Open. And he’s not dropped a set to get this far. And he’s in the quarter of the draw that lost Alcaraz early on. Make no mistake, this is a superb chance to get to the semis for Draper, the lefty player who’s really right-handed (well Rafa Nadal made a pretty good career out of doing it).
But this is a great opportunity too for Alex de Minaur, who’s also having the best season of his life. The 25-year-old world No 10 is playing in his third consecutive slam quarter-final (he’s the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago to achieve that particular feat) and the fourth of his career, but crucially for him this is the first time he’s faced a lower-ranked opponent. He lost to the eventual champion Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, the eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev at this year’s French Open and then had to withdraw before his last-eight match with Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon because of the hip injury that also kept him out of the Olympics. He’s exceeded his own expectations by reaching another quarter-final so soon in his recovery.
As for the head-to-head, De Minaur leads it 3-0, including the past two matches on hard courts, but Draper is a different player now, both physically and mentally, and De Minaur knows it. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching how this one plays out.
It’ll be interesting to hear Muchova’s post-match thoughts. She doesn’t give much away, though. She says it was a weird contest but she’d rather not comment on what was going on physically. She manages a smile as she says “Sorry if [running to the bathroom] disturbed anyone, but I had no other choice.” The Czech’s then asked about facing Iga Swiatek or Jessica Pegula in tomorrow’s semi-final – but again plays it with a straight bat. “Really happy to be back in the semis. I’m sure it’s going to be tough and exicting,” is all she says.
Muchova reaches semi-finals with 6-1, 6-4 win over Haddad Maia
So Muchova steps up to serve for a place in the semi-finals. The first point sums up the match so far, as she fizzes away another forehand winner. There’s just so erm, much, to like about Muchova. A serve into the corner gets her to 30-15; a serve into the other corner makes it 40-15, two match points. And she seals it with an ace! It’s back-to-back semi-finals for Muchova at the US Open after a curious match in which she struggled physically but prevailed courtesy of her superior court craft.
Haddad Maia 1-6, 4-5 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
Eventually they’re back under way, and Haddad Maia is able to regroup for 40-0. I wonder how much the Brazilian’s emotions are playing a part in how she’s feeling; she’ll be deeply disappointed that she’s close to losing this match given how unwell her opponent is feeling. Haddad Maia does, at least, hold to love, forcing Muchova to serve this match out.
Now Haddad Maia is calling for the trainer. Blimey, it’s all going on. The Brazilian is struggling to breathe and looks quite emotional; it sounds as if she told the umpire she thought she was going to be sick. Muchova uses the opportunity to go off court for the fourth time. I’m not sure it can be the conditions; it’s fairly humid today but the heat is nowhere near the oppressive levels of last week.
Haddad Maia* 1-6, 3-5 Muchova (*denotes next server)
If an ailing Muchova can play this well, what would her level be if she was actually fit? It’s remarkably really. 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game, with the highlight a beautiful forehand down the line after she draws Haddad Maia in with the drop shot.
Muchova breaks: Haddad Maia 1-6, 3-4 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
Muchova, keen to finish the opening point as quickly as possible, hits out with a forehand winner. 0-15. And here’s another for 15-30. Her forehand has been superb today despite her physical struggles. Soon it’s 15-40; what she’d give to win one of these two break points and get this match finished quickly so she can recover for the semi-finals. But Haddad Maia gets Muchova running this way and that way on the first break point, lobbing her and then punching away a winning volley. Not what Muchova needed. But Muchova gratefully accepts Haddad Maia’s unforced error on the second.
Haddad Maia breaks: Haddad Maia* 1-6, 3-3 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
Perhaps it’s starting to impact her now, as she drops 0-30 down. It can’t be easy for her; she’s been getting no time to sit down between games because she’s been leaving the court and it’s been so rushed because she hasn’t actually taken a time out yet. Two double faults and it’s 0-40. And she’s broken to love. Her weakest game of the match by some distance. If the doctor gave her any medication, she’ll be hoping it kicks in soon.
Muchova breaks: Haddad Maia 1-6, 2-3 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
15-40 for Muchova on Haddad Maia’s serve. And she seizes the first break of the second set with a brilliantly improvised backhand winner! But again she’s quickly running off court. A trainer briefly appears but then scurries off court too. Perhaps it’s illness, a problem with her stomach maybe, as that would explain why she’s going to the bathroom and not being treated on court. Not that you’d know it from the way she’s playing; she’s been brilliant so far.
Haddad Maia* 1-6, 2-2 Muchova (*denotes next server)
But anything Haddad Maia can do … Muchova responds with a love hold of her own, just to send a message that she’s not going to be intimidated by Haddad Maia’s newly found fight. Muchova does look a little bothered though, perhaps it’s an injury that prompted her to leave the court, but she’s been playing so smoothly so far, despite looking a little fidgety between points.
Haddad Maia 1-6, 2-1 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
A love hold for Haddad Maia. The first time I’ve typed that today. Haddad Maia, now full of energy, runs back to her chair. But Muchova is sprinting even faster as she leaves the court and attempts to dodge that time violation the umpire warned her about.
Haddad Maia* 1-6, 1-1 Muchova (*denotes next server)
Muchova is in discussions with the umpire between games; I think the Czech wants to leave the court but is warned she could get a time violation. It’s not clear why she’s keen to take a break. It doesn’t derail her, however, as she moves to 30-15 with an accomplished point. But then Haddad Maia puts together an impressive combination of her own, rounding things off with a winning volley. 30-all. Haddad Maia is jumping up and down in frustration as she’s jammed by a body serve. 40-30. And Muchova holds with a darting forehand down the line.
Haddad Maia 1-6, 1-0 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
Muchova took out the breakthrough star of 2024, Jasmine Paolini, in the previous round, and today’s performance has been even more devastating so far. Again she’s applying the pressure on Haddad Maia’s serve at 15-30, and she gets to 30-40 when Haddad Maia makes a mess of her footwork. Haddad Maia screams in relief when Muchova makes the error. Deuce. And the Brazilian is boosted when she wins the best point of the match so far! She needed that. Her advantage. And from there she holds. Can she build on it?
Muchova wins the first set 6-1
A couple of rare errors from Muchova and it’s 15-30. This is getting a bit more interesting. But Haddad Maia balloons her backhand return and it’s 30-all. Muchova slices and spins her way to set point. And an unreturned serve down the T seals it after 35 minutes. Muchova is tying Haddad Maia in knots with her variation and she still hasn’t dropped a set this tournament; that’s the ninth in a row she’s won.
Haddad Maia 1-5 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
A rare cheer from the now-subdued Brazilians in the crowd as Haddad Maia serve-volleys to drag herself to 30-all. And she’s then cheering herself as she gets to 40-30. And fist-pumping as she finally gets her name on the board. It’s unlikely to change the course of this first set – but it could give her a much-needed boost for the second.
Haddad Maia* 0-5 Muchova (*denotes next server)
Another break for Muchova, as she races to 0-40, is pegged back to 30-40, but then peels off a forehand winner. And she consolidates the double break with the minimum of fuss, holding to love. Since the two lengthy games at the start of the match, this has quickly become one-sided, and Haddad-Maia must now hold serve for the first time to prevent a first-set whitewash.
Haddad Maia* 0-3 Muchova (*denotes next server)
Muchova backs up the break to 30. Just as the British 17-year-old Charlie Robertson books his place in his first quarter-final at a junior slam with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jangjun Kim, the 11th seed from South Korea. Robertson, from Dundee, has been mentored by Andy Murray, who won the US Open boys’ title exactly 20 years ago, and even has a photo of his fellow Scot as his phone background. And it looks like he’s got the backing of Judy too:
Muchova breaks: Haddad Maia 0-2 Muchova* (*denotes next server)
Muchova leads their head-to-head 3-0, by the way, and Tim Henman says on Sky that he has her down as a comfortable winner today in straight sets. Both are big talents, both are former top-10ers – but I’d give Muchova the edge too. And she’s likely to stay calmer under pressure if this match does get closer than Henman expects.
There are chances here for Muchova to break at 15-40 – but Haddad Maia slides her lefty serve to Muchova’s misfiring backhand on the first break point and Haddad Maia dispatches a winning volley on the second. Muchova gets one, two, make that three more break chances at her advantage and eventually takes it when Haddad Maia nets.
First set: Haddad Maia* 0-1 Muchova (*denotes next server)
This is an intriguing clash of styles: the clever and crafty Czech who has so much variety v the big-hitting Brazilian lefty who possesses the bigger weapons. And just to disprove that Muchova whacks two winners in the opening game and it’s 30-all. But then Haddad Maia injects some pace, and it’s 30-40, an early break point. Muchova, serving from the end that is covered in shade, averts the danger. Deuce. Advantage Haddad Maia, a second break point, she’s sending Muchova an early message here that she’s more than willing to attack the second serves. Deuce. Advantage Muchova. Game Muchova. The Czech will be relieved to hold.
Both players have gone under the radar this fortnight. But neither should be underestimated. Muchova is only unseeded because she was out for 10 months with a wrist injury after reaching the US Open semi-finals last year; the 28-year-old was also the French Open runner-up last year. Haddad Maia, also 28, is a former slam semi-finalist too, having gone that far at Roland Garros last year.
The first quarter-finalists of the day are warming up. It’s the unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova v the 22nd seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian who was absolutely beaming when she stepped on to court a few minutes ago. Haddad Maia got the bigger cheer, it has to be said, with plenty of South Americans in the crowd.
We’re hearing that De Minaur’s practice session on Arthur Ashe earlier was unusually short. Apparently he was hitting for only about 15 minutes and didn’t look too happy. Is he still having problems with the hip he injured at Wimbledon? Let’s hope not.
Tumaini Carayol
And here’s Tumaini’s preview of Draper v the Demon.
A couple of days after sealing his first career grand slam win, at Wimbledon, in 2022, a 20-year-old Jack Draper earned himself a rare chance to test his level against one of the sport’s rising stars over the best of five sets.
The early returns from his second-round bout on No 1 Court with Alex de Minaur were encouraging. Despite the 67 ranking places and three years separating them, they went blow to blow as equals and were level after the two tight, gripping sets.
The intensity of their exchanges, however, left a significant mark on the young challenger and Draper spent the remainder of the match panting and hunching over as he faded in the last two sets. Between his undeniable raw talent and the physical problems that eventually hampered him, the match was a perfect reflection of Draper’s early development.
They will meet again in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Wednesday, perhaps the biggest match of their careers. In a draw that has provided numerous upsets and early exits, with the third seed, Carlos Alcaraz, losing early in their section, there is no top player to conquer en route to the final four. This is a massive opportunity for both of them.
Even though De Minaur has embraced a more offensive playing style, taking the ball earlier and beefing up his forehand to impose himself on the top players, he will again aim to extend the exchanges, to wear Draper out and test all of the physical problems the young Briton has struggled with repeatedly since his emergence.
After so many injuries and absences, it has taken an admirable amount of work for Draper to build himself into an athlete capable of competing with the best. He must now show how far he has come, particularly against an opponent who has won all three of their encounters.
Despite reaching his first grand slam quarter-final without dropping a set, Draper repeatedly describes his run here as feeling strange. He is understandably not pleased with his first-serve average of 53%, but he has been incredibly clutch, saving 20 of 21 break points and losing his serve once, repeatedly stopping opponents from building any momentum.
Against a player and returner like De Minaur, he will clearly need to land more first serves and sustain aggression with his forehand. Draper has shown how well rounded his game is, mixing tidy net forays and serve and volley attempts. He will need them to keep De Minaur off balance and break down his defences.
Draper is an incredibly ambitious figure who strongly believes he can be a top player and spend most of his career competing for the biggest titles. But it has taken some time for him to gain that deep confidence.
You can read the rest here:
While we’re waiting for the action to start: Here are the day nine match reports for your perusal.
Preamble
Two months ago, amid Andy Murray’s tearful farewell to Wimbledon and Jack Draper’s first grand slam tournament as the British No 1, Draper was anointed by the scriptwriters as Murray’s ready-made successor, someone who could grasp the baton immediately and carry home hopes that fortnight. He’d had an eye-catching build-up to Wimbledon, beating Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s and winning his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart, but he couldn’t adjust to the increased expectations and the 22-year-old was bundled out in the second round by the British No 2 Cameron Norrie, who then lost in the next round himself.
But here Draper is, just one grand slam later, playing in his first major quarter-final, eight years after Murray’s last appearance at this stage of US Open. And he’s not dropped a set to get this far. And he’s in the quarter of the draw that lost Alcaraz early on. Make no mistake, this is a superb chance to get to the semis for Draper, the lefty player who’s really right-handed (well Rafa Nadal made a pretty good career out of doing it).
But this is a great opportunity too for Alex de Minaur, who’s also having the best season of his life. The 25-year-old world No 10 is playing in his third consecutive slam quarter-final (he’s the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago to achieve that particular feat) and the fourth of his career, but crucially for him this is the first time he’s faced a lower-ranked opponent. He lost to the eventual champion Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, the eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev at this year’s French Open and then had to withdraw before his last-eight match with Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon because of the hip injury that also kept him out of the Olympics. He’s exceeded his own expectations by reaching another quarter-final so soon in his recovery.
As for the head-to-head, De Minaur leads it 3-0, including the past two matches on hard courts, but Draper is a different player now, both physically and mentally, and De Minaur knows it. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching how this one plays out.
The match will begin: at approximately 2pm New York time/7pm BST.
Before that we’ve got the not-so-small-matter of: Karolina Muchova v Beatriz Haddad Maia in the women’s quarter-finals. Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up, reached the New York semis last year but has had a torrid time since, missing 10 months with a wrist injury, so the Czech is unseeded this time around. Haddad Maia is the first Brazilian woman to be playing in the US Open quarter-finals since Maria Bueno back in 1968. They’ll be stepping on to Arthur Ashe in about five minutes’ time.
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