Draper progress at Queen's earns him a Major bonus
Home hope Jack Draper showed class and a fighting spirit to reach the semi-finals at Queens Club with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima, guaranteeing himself a top-four seeding at Wimbledon.
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The British No.1 used the home support to his advantage and will now avoid Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz until the semi-finals at the grass court Major, should he make it that far.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Draper said when he heard the news.
“I was at Wimbledon last year ranked No.14. To go there at fourth seed is a testament to all the hard work me and my team have done, so I’m proud of that.”
Draper earned his first ATP Tour win at Queen's in 2021 and also his first wins over Sinner and Alcaraz, in 2021 and 2024, respectively. But he had not been able to advance past the quarter-finals until now.
“It means the world to me. The support I’ve received this week has been amazing,” he said.
“I’m used to battling against the crowd, so this week is nice. To be in the semi-finals here for the first time is something I’ve wanted since I was a little kid, so it means everything to me.”
Draper will next face Jiri Lehecka, whorecorded his 100th ATP Tour victory by moving past Draper's countryman Briton Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2.
Lehecka dropped serve for the first time this week but produced a rock-solid response to soar into his maiden grass-court semi-final.
“I didn’t really feel that I was in the rhythm I needed to be in, but my reaction was good and I didn’t bother myself with that,” Lehecka said.
“We are in the semis, so you need to be playing well, there’s no time for any mistakes and you need to believe in your game.”
