Draper reaches maiden major QF at US Open

Jack Draper reached his first major quarter-final on Monday at the US Open, where he dispatched Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 in New York.

The British lefty was in total control from the early stages on Louis Armstrong Stadium, where he played with high intensity and struck 35 winners to become the first British man to advance to the last eight at the hard-court major since former champion Andy Murray in 2016.

"I thought that the past few times we have played it has been a really tough battle. Today I thought I played a decent level, he was maybe a little bit off his best but I had to stay strong in the points and it was amazing to play out here on Louis Armstrong," Draper said. "I lost last year here in the same round so it is nice to come back and do better this year."

Not messing around ⚡️💪@jackdraper0 races past Machac 6-3 6-1 6-2 to advance into the QFs in New York!@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/vn89qRYcAd

The 22-year-old reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows last season and has impressed once again this year, not dropping a set through his first four matches. Draper will continue his run against World No. 10 Alex de Minaur or Jordan Thompson on Wednesday.

"I just need to keep going," Draper said. "I have great people around me and I love playing here in New York... I love playing on the big stage."

Draper has climbed to No. 23 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following his first Lexus ATP Head2Head victory against Machac. The 25th seed clinched his maiden ATP Tour title in Stuttgart earlier this year, defeating Matteo Berrettini in the final.

Against Machac in New York, Draper dominated throughout to earn a statement scoreline win. The 22-year-old constantly overpowered the World No. 39 in the baseline exchanges and was impressive on return, winning 60 per cent (18/30) of points on Machac's second delivery to seal an impressive victory.

Machac was competing in the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time, having moved past Fabio Fognini, Sebastian Korda and David Goffin without dropping a set. The 23-year-old was unable to find his level against Draper and cut a frustrated figure at times on court during the one-hour, 44-minute clash.

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