Draper’s Seven-Match Winning Streak Ends at Paris Masters

Jack Draper, currently ranked 15th globally following a breakthrough ATP Tour season, will not qualify for the year-end ATP Finals after his seven-match winning run concluded in the third round of the Paris Masters. The British men’s top player, who secured his most significant career title in Vienna on Sunday, suffered a 5-7 6-2 6-3 defeat against Alex de Minaur, the Australian ninth seed. This loss eliminated any possibility for the 22-year-old Draper to conclude the ATP Tour season among the top eight competitors. Consequently, the US Open semi-finalist’s impressive season has concluded, and his focus will soon shift to strategies for building upon this success in 2025. He is expected to look back positively on what has been his most successful year to date, marked by several significant career achievements: securing his inaugural ATP Tour title in June at a 250 event in Stuttgart; reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final in September at the US Open; entering the top 20 of the ATP world rankings following his performance in New York; and becoming only the fourth British male player since 2009 to claim an ATP 500 title with his win in Vienna. Despite the defeat, Draper is set to achieve a new career-high ranking of 14th globally, having secured two victories at the indoor tournament in Paris. Displaying considerable confidence following a rapid transition from the Austrian capital, he notably defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka and American fifth seed Taylor Fritz during the season’s concluding ATP 1,000 event. However, his demanding performances over the preceding week seemed to have an impact during his match against De Minaur, an opponent Draper had overcome en route to the US Open semi-finals. During their previous encounter in New York, De Minaur was physically hindered and performing significantly below his usual standard. In this match, the 25-year-old Australian exhibited his characteristic energetic form. This proved problematic for Draper, who appeared progressively more fatigued as the match progressed. A closely contested first set was secured by Draper after he broke serve for a second time in the 12th game, prior to De Minaur enhancing the precision of his groundstrokes. The world number 10’s reduction in unforced errors prolonged the rallies, thereby draining Draper’s energy, leading to Draper being broken twice in a dominant second set for De Minaur. Draper’s frustration became evident when he destroyed his racquet after conceding a break in the opening game of the deciding set. Although the Briton displayed resilience to equalize at 2-2, De Minaur maintained a high standard of play, winning four of the last five games to sustain his own aspirations of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin. Separately, Spanish world number two Carlos Alcaraz was also eliminated from the Paris Masters on Thursday. The 21-year-old four-time major champion pushed Frenchman Ugo Humbert to a deciding set but ultimately fell 6-1 3-6 7-5 to the local player, who achieved what was described as the joint-biggest victory of his career.