Twelve years after Andy Murray, Jack Draper will represent the United Kingdom in the last four of the US Open, his first major semi-final. The Briton will face world number one, Italian Jannik Sinner, or Russian Daniil Medvedev (5th), winner of the tournament in 2021, who face each other in the quarter-finals.
Jack Draper, ranked 25th in the world, continued his winning ways, winning his first Grand Slam quarter-final against Australia’s Alex De Minaur (10th) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. At 22, he is the fourth Briton to reach the semi-finals of the men’s draw in New York in the Open era (started in 1968) after Greg Rusedski (1997), Tim Henman (2004) and Andy Murray (2008, 2011, 2012).
“It’s the first time I’ve played on the biggest court in the world. [le stade Arthur-Ashe] and it’s a dream come true”commented the Briton who did not seem to have his head in the clouds at all as he imposed his game on De Minaur. Last year, at Flushing Meadows, he reached the round of 16, which was his best result to date in a Grand Slam. In this tournament, before this quarter-final, he had not lost a single set and he had only conceded his serve once. De Minaur took his serve twice, but without managing to take a set. “I was strong and, physically, it’s been a long time since I felt this strong.”Draper stressed.
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The highly anticipated clash between Sinner and Medvedev is scheduled for the very end of the program, Wednesday, on the Arthur-Ashe court. The Italian and the Russian have already faced each other twice this year in Grand Slams: the former won the final of the Australian Open and the latter won the quarter-final that opposed them at Wimbledon. In this half of the draw very early deprived of the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, winner in 2022, the winner of this quarter-final will be favorite to reach the final.
World number one eliminated
In the women’s competition, Polish world number one Iga Swiatek was defeated by American Jessica Pegula (6th) 6-2, 6-4 in the quarter-finals. Pegula, 30, will play her first Grand Slam semi-final on Thursday against Czech Karolina Muchova (52nd), after six defeats in the quarter-finals. “Finally I can say that I am a semi-finalist! I knew I could do it if I applied my game without getting frustrated”Pegula commented.
Swiatek, 23, winner at Flushing Meadows in 2022 and four-time Roland-Garros champion, was weighed down by her unforced errors (41 in eighteen games played, compared to 22 for Pegula). Apparently nervous, the Polish player offered the first game of the match on her serve, on a double fault, after several errors in the previous points, clumsiness that multiplied throughout the match.
Pegula’s qualification adds even more depth to the excellent US Open for the Americans, who have four semi-finalists: Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe who face each other on Friday, and Emma Navarro, a novice at this level, facing the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday.
Pegula’s next opponent, Karolina Muchova, eliminated Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (21st) 6-1, 6-4. “I am very happy to be in the last four again”said the 28-year-old with a big smile, having had to end her season after losing in the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open to eventual champion Coco Gauff. She had surgery on her wrist in February and only returned to competition in June.
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Haddad, totally non-existent at the start of the game, practically gave her the first set. The Brazilian, who had physical problems, being examined on the court at the end of the game, held her serve a little better in the second set but the Czech, despite stomach pains, managed to win.
“It was a strange match. I had some physical problems that I prefer not to comment on. I managed to get through them by going back and forth to the toilet. Sorry if it was disturbing, but I had no choice.”commented Karolina Muchova. The Czech must hope that these ailments do not last too long because she will continue with her semi-final on Thursday, without a day off.
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