When they first played, Jack Draper recalls Jannik Sinner as the weak point on the court, but the British number one is aware that things will be different in their US Open semifinal.
After Draper defeated Alex de Minaur on Wednesday, he became the first man from Britain to make it to the final four in New York since Andy Murray did so, followed by a trip to winning the 2012 championship.
Though Carlos Alcaraz’s early withdrawal helped the 22-year-old’s breakthrough run, he now has to contend with the world’s best player in an exciting semi-final on Arthur Ashe on Friday.
That’s a long way from when they faced off in an under-18s doubleheader and the Italian was singled out.
Draper talked about it and said: “The first time I met Jannik was when we were in an under-18 tournament. I think I played him in the doubles in a Grade 1 ITF. It has been strange following his journey because when he was younger, he was probably not one of the best juniors. I remember playing him in doubles, and we were saying, ‘Oh, hit him because he’s not the best player on the court’. Then, obviously, watching his progress to really getting to the top 20 very quickly when all of us were kind of 300 when 400 in the world.”
Draper added: “I’ve obviously followed him and always think he’s really well-mannered and an amazing guy and good for the sport. Obviously, his tennis is incredible too. Jannik is a good friend, someone I’m definitely close to. We send each other messages in good moments and bad moments. It’s a tough sport to play when you’re a young guy.”
Sinner, who won the Australian Open this year and rose to the top of the world rankings, has obviously made significant progress since that under-18 double match.
He didn’t recall the specific match that Draper was referring to, but he did have positive things to say about the British player with whom he had recently played doubles in Montreal.
Sinner at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2024
WWWWWWWWWW At the moment ranked no.1, Sinner has an overall 53-5 win-loss record in 2024. The Italian is competing at the U.S. Open where he beat the world no.140 Mackenzie Mcdonald 2-6 6-2 6-1 6-2, the world no.49 Alex Michelsen 6-4 6-0 6-2, the world no.87 Christopher O Connell 6-1 6-4 6-2, the world no.14 Tommy Paul 7-6(3) 7-6(5) 6-1 and the world no.5 Daniil Medvedev 6-2 1-6 6-1 6-4.
Jannik Sinner will fight against the world no.25 Jack Draper in the semifinal on Friday at 2:00 pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The head to head is 1-0 for Draper.
The Italian has won 5 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati.
Sinner won 16 titles in his career: 7 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 7 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sinner will play next in Beijing (China Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 23rd of September.
Draper at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked no.25 (career-high), Draper has a compiled 30-17 win-loss record in 2024. Jack is competing at the U.S. Open where he overcame the world no.41 Zhizhen Zhang 6-3 6-0 4-0 ret., the world no.64 Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-4 6-2 6-2, the world no.74 Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 6-2, the world no.39 Tomas Machac 6-3 6-1 6-2 and the world no.10 Alex De Minaur 6-3 7-5 6-2.
Jack Draper will fight against the world no.364 Lucas Poullain in the final. Their record is 2-0 for Poullain.
Draper has won 1 title in 2024 in Stuttgart. Draper reached the final in Adelaide (Adelaide International).
Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper fought against each other just once. Their current record is 1-0 for Draper. When they played, Jack Draper won 7-6(6) 7-6(2) in the 1st round in London (Cinch Championships) in June 2021.
Here the video highlights.
