Jack Draper is back to winning ways at the Japan Open after his Davis Cup disappointment with Great Britain.
Draper is set to become a key Davis Cup player for Great Britain, but he struggled to help his nation make it beyond the group stages earlier this month.
That disappointment came after a stunning US Open run for Draper, where he was eventually beaten by Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
World number one Sinner went on to lift the prestigious trophy, beating Taylor Fritz in the final at Flushing Meadows.
Fritz has already fallen at the Japan Open, with the top seed losing to Arthur Fils, with second seed Hubert Hurkacz then losing to Draper.
Jack Draper breaks personal record at the Japan Open
The Briton overcame the Polish world number eight in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-4 in Tokyo to secure a quarter-final spot.
As per OptaAce, the round of 16 victory represents Draper’s third win against a top-10 player in 2024, his most wins against such opponents in a single season.
Japan Open success on the cards for Jack Draper
The Briton only just overcame a top-10 player in Alex de Minaur at the US Open, with the former beating the world number 10 in the quarter-finals.
Draper picked up his other top-10 win this season with a superb victory over world number two Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s.
The early Japan Open shocks have not been limited to the top two seeds, with third seed Casper Ruud losing to Jordan Thompson and fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas losing to Alex Michelsen.
Draper says bravery is needed to beat the top players, with the 22-year-old having certainly shown that in recent times.
Such an attitude will now be required to go far at the Japan Open, with fifth and sixth seeds Tommy Paul and Holger Rune respectively still in Tokyo, along with defending champion Ben Shelton.
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