Jack Draper booked his place in the quarter-final at Queen’s after coming back from a set down to overcome Alexei Popyrin.
Draper defeated Popyrin 3-6, 6-2, 7-6, fighting his way back into the match against the Australian after a slow start in the contest.
The Briton, who won his first grass-court tournament at the Stuttgart Open last year, is now into the last eight at Queen’s for the third time in his career.
During the third set tiebreaker against Popyrin, Draper made a change to his game that former Australian Open finalist John Lloyd questioned when watching the match.
What Jack Draper did in the third-set tiebreak against Alexei Popyrin
Analysing the match, Lloyd said: “That’s what great players do [dig deep], Jack Draper was in a bit of trouble there.
“A tough match against a very good opponent, but what I liked about it, how about at five all in the tiebreaker when he went and changed his racket, how about that? I thought that was a classic, and then he hit two winners in a row.
“You can just see with the way he plays now, he’s got such a presence on the court with the serve
“The serve, not quite the percentage he would like but there was a lot of good aces, the ground strokes were excellent, and he’s moving around the court beautifully.
“Who would go an pick up a new racket at five all? And then he did it because he thought, do you know what, I need a tighter racket, and then he just went for it, beautifully.
“Then he just hit two great winners, and that’s a sign of a good player, when the pressure points are on, you hit the good shots.”
Jack Draper’s quarter-final opponent at Queen’s
Draper will face world number 32 Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-final at Queen’s, in what marks a third career clash between the two.
They first played each other on the tour at the Next Gen ATP finals in 2022, which Nakashima won over four sets.
| Year | Match | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Stuttgart Open Semi-Final | Draper | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2022 | Next Gen ATP Finals Semi-Final | Nakashima | 4-3, 1-4, 4-2, 4-3 |
Their second, and most recent bout, however, went the way of the world number six, who defeated the American in the semi-final of the Stuttgart Open in 2024.
In the second clash on grass between Draper and Nakashima, a maiden appearance in the semi-final of Queen’s is up for grabs.
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