Jack Draper was inspired in his win over Alex de Minaur, strolling into the US Open semi-finals at a canter.
Shockingly, it marks the first seeded player that the youngster has had to face this tournament, but that’s not to suggest that he has had an easy run.
Facing some in-form opponents, he has made them look decidedly average, having yet to actually drop a set too.
What’s even more impressive is how his previously threadbare fitness has come along as well, meanwhile, his opponent from yesterday struggled dearly.
Jack Draper reveals mid-match instructions at US Open
Speaking on the Sky Sports Tennis Podcast after his famous win, which has catapulted him into the US Open semi-finals, Jack Draper was unsurprisingly delighted.
And with good reason too, having not just beaten the Australian, but having cruised past him in straight sets.
It has since been confirmed that Alex de Minaur was struggling with injury, but that does not detract from the professionalism of the 22-year-old, who went about his business with minimal fuss.
Draper then revealed what mid-match instructions he was given upon learning this information: ‘I knew there was some moments in there where I needed to step up and I didn’t. I felt like when it got to 4-4 [second set] I needed to up my energy and go back to what I was doing in the first set, try and be more aggressive.
‘My coach was telling me to step up.
‘It’s hard when someone is struggling, maybe you get used to their rhythm and you don’t start playing your game. You start trying to make balls because you think he is injured. But I think I did a good job of resetting and then in the last set I became more aggressive and things were looking better.’
Both Jack Draper and Alex de Minaur seemed injured
Whilst it was clear that Alex de Minaur was struggling throughout his match with Draper, getting more and more uncharacteristically sluggish as proceedings went on, it is also worth noting that the British number one was not completely free from pain either.
In fact, Draper has provided an injury update ahead of his semi-final with Jannik Sinner, in which he admitted: ‘I felt something on set point in the first set. I was a little bit worried about it at the time but then I played two sets on it.’
He was far less unencumbered than his opponent, who has forged his entire play style of a relentless work ethic that seldom lets him down.
But, if his impeccable movement is restricted, then so too are his chances of success.
Hopefully, in the coming years, we can see these two meet at full fitness, and then we will get the true spectacle that we were owed yesterday.
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