Jack Draper has maintained his meteoric rise up the ATP rankings after advancing to the Vienna Open final.
A thrilling year for Britain’s Jack Draper has kept on its tantalizing trajectory with a smart run in Austria.
After picking up his first title in Stuttgart in the summer, Draper reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final in New York last month.
After Draper experienced a recent injury set-back, he has picked up where he left off, bruising his way to a straight sets win over Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti.
Having beaten the dangerous Czech Tomas Machac in the previous round, Draper will move to his highest spot in the rankings, rising to 15th on Monday.
READ MORE: What Jack Draper’s camp has said about his injury after he withdrew from the Shanghai Masters
Jack Draper weighs up huge opportunity for his second ATP title
Draper battled through a bumpy second set, letting slip a 4-2 lead, before managing to regain his composure.
Into his first ATP 500 final, Draper, who now moves to 3-0 against Musetti, is set to take on Karen Khachanov for the title.
Relishing his instant return to form, Draper said to the ATP: “I thought the first set was a really high level from my side. Definitely Lorenzo is a really tough competitor. I’ve known him since I was really young and playing against him is always so difficult. He’s had an incredible season.
“The second set was really up and down. There were some long points and definitely some nerves and difficult moments, but I’m really proud of the way I kept on fighting and kept on going. In the end I got it done.”
Anticipating a super occasion, Draper added: “It’s my biggest final yet. I’ve been in 250 finals. I’d say a Grand Slam semi-final is probably a bigger match, but at the same time to be in the final at a 500 after all the work I’ve put in this year and the season I’ve had, I’m incredibly grateful and really happy to be in this situation.”
Jack Draper is forcing himself into Australian Open title contention
Draper is very quickly making a name for himself as a player to watch heading into the 2025 Australian Open.
A superb string of performances in New York showcased his powerful serve and aggressive baseline play, with the 22-year-old not dropping a set all the way to the semi-finals.
By consistently challenging higher-ranked opponents, Draper is forcing his way into the conversation as a potential and regular challenger in the latter stages of the big events, especially on the hard-courts.
While a strong finish to the season will help his seeding and confidence, his record in Melbourne in poor, having never made it beyond round two.
With Draper’s physical condition still having several question marks above it, a deep run at the Australian Open hangs in the balance.
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