US Open: Jack Draper rolls through to the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time, silencing the New York crowd to beat American shock hope Michael Mmoh in four sets
- Jack Draper beat Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 to make the fourth round
- The 21-year-old silenced the home crowd to seal his first Grand Slam last 16 spot
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Jack Draper was out of sight and out of mind for British audiences for much of this summer, a big slice of the season wrecked by a succession of injuries that reduced him to a spectator around Wimbledon.
It was, however, only a matter of time before he would bounce back – it has just come quicker than expected. Now, from almost nowhere, he is into the last sixteen of a Grand Slam event for the first time.
The 21 year-old from Surrey gave another reminder of his ability last night when he ignored a partisan crowd to defeat American Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 to make the US Open fourth round, with precious little tennis behind him.
Draper will now face Andrey Rublev, the Russian world No 8, which would have been an unlikely scenario eleven days ago when withdrawing from the ATP event in Winston Salem with a recurrence of shoulder problems.
Draper is nominally ranked 118 due to his prolonged absences this season, but he looked a cut above the slightly unorthodox world number 89 on the Grandstand arena at Flushing Meadows.
Brit Jack Draper booked his place in the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time Saturday
The 21-year-old defeated American Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the US Open third round
The World No. 118 looked a cut above Mmoh on the Grandstand arena at Flushing Meadows
‘I don’t think it’s the best tennis I have played but I’ve never won a four-set match before,’ he pointed out later. ‘I haven’t had much Grand Slam exposure. In the Slams I’ve been in, I had the number one seed twice out of four times, I’ve had tough draws.
‘So I’m very proud of myself, and that’s a testament to the work I’ve put in. It’s not been easy for me the last year or two with the injury struggles I’ve had. I come into each tournament thinking, “Oh, am I going to hold up this week?”’
In a match of heavy slugging from the baseline Draper’s forehand was misfiring early on, but he slowly showed his superior class. He raced away with the second set but Mmoh, who has a service action slightly reminiscent of Jo Konta, rattled him in the third, and Draper threw his racket to the ground in frustration.
‘I took a break at the end of the second set which in hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have done,’ he admitted.
‘That gave him a bit of time for him to regroup and he came out firing. He started serving really well, used the crowd quite a lot. He was a different player from the start of the third set. I knew I had to just stay in the moment, stay calm.’
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