British tennis player Jack Draper makes history with first grand slam semi-final appearance at US Open, defeating Alex de Minaur

September 4, 2024 TruthUSA

British tennis player Jack Draper has reached his first grand slam semi-final after beating Australian Alex de Minaur in straight sets at the US Open.

He defeated the number 10 seed 6-3 7-5 6-2 in a dominant performance and will now face top seed Jannik Sinner or 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in the last four.

Draper becomes only the fourth British man in the Open era to reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, and the 22-year-old is yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament.

Speaking after his quarter-final win, the 25th seed said: “It’s amazing. Honestly, to be out here my first match on the biggest court in the world it’s a dream come true for me.

“It means the world.”

The British men’s number one continued: “I think I played a solid match. I feel the best fitness-wise I’ve been in a long, long time and I think that’s where Alex has got me in the past.

“I also think he was maybe struggling a bit today with something which may have helped me a little bit.

“But credit to Alex he’s an amazing fighter and an unbelievable player and we’re going to have many more battles to come.”

Draper is the first British man to reach the last four in the US Open since Andy Murray won it in 2012.

For de Minaur, whose girlfriend is British women’s number one Katie Boulter, it is another quarter-final loss at a grand slam and he appeared to be struggling with injury.

It is the third grand slam quarter-final de Minaur has lost in a row.

Meanwhile, Draper has further announced himself as the new star of British tennis, stepping up as Murray retired from the sport this summer.

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