Jack Draper Extends Winning Streak with Victory Over Taylor Fritz in Paris

Jack Draper, who became the British number one earlier this year, maintained his excellent performance by defeating fifth seed Taylor Fritz at the Paris Masters. The 22-year-old, fresh from securing his most significant career title in Vienna last week, advanced to the third round with a 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-4 victory, marking his seventh consecutive win. Following his semi-final appearance at the US Open last month and his climb to 15th in the rankings, this triumph strengthens Draper’s bid to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. Following the match, Draper commented, “Taylor is always a tough battle. He is a top player for a reason and is in amazing form. I am really, really happy with the win today and proud of my fight.” Draper is scheduled to face Australian Alex de Minaur, whom he previously defeated in New York, in the last 16. Fritz had surpassed Draper’s US Open performance by reaching the final at Flushing Meadows, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. However, Fritz was narrowly defeated in this compelling encounter. Draper secured the first set in a tie-break, aided by an impressive forehand winner after retrieving a Fritz smash. The second set, however, appeared to shift in favor of the world number six. With the score at 3-2, Draper was unable to convert any of his six break point opportunities during a lengthy Fritz service game that featured 10 deuces. The American then broke serve to love in the subsequent game, ultimately winning the set and equalizing the match. Despite having only concluded his match in Vienna on Sunday afternoon and defeating Czech Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday, Draper resisted the shift in momentum. He showed resilience even as his energy appeared to diminish. He effectively utilized his powerful left-handed serve throughout the match and capitalized on a wild double fault from Fritz at the conclusion of a closely contested deciding set, converting his first match point to win the contest. Draper further stated, “It is the end of season – a lot of people are hurting, not just myself. I will keep fighting for every point no matter how I am feeling.” In earlier matches, Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev was defeated 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-4) by Australian Alexei Popyrin. Conversely, third seed Alexander Zverev and eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov both advanced, securing victories against Tallon Griekspoor and Tomas Martin Etcheverry, respectively. The day’s final match saw Frenchman Arthur Cazaux, a lucky loser ranked 85th globally, upset American world number 19 Ben Shelton with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win before an enthusiastic home crowd.