Jack Draper was looking to secure another win on grass and keep his Queen’s Club Championships title hopes alive.
The British number one kicked his grass-court campaign off with a big win on Tuesday when Draper beat Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-1.
He was barely challenged in his opening match, although that wasn’t the case when he took on Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in round two.
The Aussie started the stronger of the two, taking the first set 6-3, before Draper battled back to win in a third-set tiebreaker.
After the match, 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash claimed Draper did something ‘special’ during the tiebreaker.
Pat Cash praises Jack Draper for hitting a ‘special’ and ‘brave’ backhand at 5-5 in the tiebreaker
Speaking to BBC Sport during their coverage of the Queen’s Club Championships, Cash gave his verdict on Draper’s win.
“That wasn’t an easy match, was it? Big puff of his cheeks there, ‘got away with that one’, to a certain extent he did,” said Cash.
“I said that at the beginning of the tiebreak, it takes something special or a bad shot selection.
“We saw that something special, he set the point up with that backhand, was brave enough to go for it, [Alexei] Popyrin had the same shot a few points before with the lead in the tiebreak, didn’t go for it, ended up losing the point, that’s the difference.
“Jack [Draper], generally speaking has the more solid backhand, he has that ability to go for that shot, you have to have the guts to go for it, he went for it, took the advantage, finished it off with a great ace, boom boom, was all over in a matter of seconds.”
If Draper had missed the backhand, he would’ve had to defend a match point, but he produced a stunning shot to set up a match point of his own, which he calmly converted with an ace.
Cash believes Draper ‘needed’ a match like this, as he ramps up preparations for Wimbledon next month.
“You need those matches, you need a tough match, especially in a short grass-court season, that’s exactly what he wanted,” he said.
“That was probably a bit closer than he would’ve liked, but he got through it, played under pressure.”
Jack Draper admits his win over Alexei Popyrin ‘wasn’t pretty’
During his on-court interview, Draper was asked whether he now feels comfortable on the grass.
“A little bit, not exactly in the first couple of sets, it wasn’t pretty at all,” he said.
“I still think I need some time to adjust to the grass after being on clay for a while. But I’m feeling better every time I get through these matches, it’s giving me a lot of confidence, so one more under the belt and we’ll go again on Friday or Thursday, whatever day it is.”
Draper’s break point conversion rate was poor against Popyrin, as he failed to take advantage of several opportunities throughout the match.
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Break points |
| Jack Draper | 14 | 3 | 65% | 2/8 (25%) |
| Alexei Popyrin | 6 | 5 | 59% | 1/2 (50%) |
He will certainly be hoping that particular statistic improves when he returns for his quarterfinal match.
The world number six also took the time to thank the fans and those closest to him for the support he received on Andy Murray Arena.
“There are days when I need that extra support, and today was one of them. It was a tough match, credit to Alexei [Popyrin], he played some amazing tennis, it was a bit up and down, but you guys definitely helped me through that, so thank you, I appreciate it,” said Draper.
“My family is here, my friends are here, I love being at home playing in front of my family and friends, it’s an emotional moment for me, honestly, so thank you.”
Draper may not have quite so much crowd support in the quarterfinals, as he could potentially face off against his fellow Brit Dan Evans.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious when Draper takes on the winner of Evans and Brandon Nakashima on Friday, June 20.
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