Draper assures new ranking with his advance to SF in Stuttgart | ATP Tour

Match Chronicle

Draper assures new ranking with his advance to SF in Stuttgart

Berrettini and Musetti will also fight for the final of the tournament

June 14, 2024

Ups and downs have been recurring in Jack Draper’s career, especially due to multiple injuries. But moments like this Friday at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart also justify the 22-year-old Briton’s perseverance.

Despite falling in the first set against American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals, the current No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings won with sets of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1) to achieve his first advance to the semifinals of this German ATP 250 on grass and to ensure a better ranking in his career starting Monday.

Last month he had broken into the Top 35 for the first time by rising to No. 35, but with this result in Stuttgart he will appear from Monday, in the worst case scenario, in box No. 34 of the PIF ATP Rankings. With the title he could rise to No. 30 (see live ranking). The news serves as an incentive for a player who was outside the Top 100 last September and who is now ready to be No. 1 in his country.

“I’m incredibly happy,” Draper said. “I had lost the last three tie-breaks of the third set, so to have achieved victory today is incredible and I am very proud of my level. I am very happy with my service. “It was a game of great quality.”

Draper, who will play in his sixth semifinals on the circuit on Saturday, hit 31 aces in his two-hour, 13-minute victory against the current world No. 28, who also won the title of this tournament in 2023.

The Briton leaves his Lexus ATP Head2Head at 1-1 with Tiafoe, who now has a 13-13 record in 2024, and is ready for his next duel against the American Brandon Nakashima, who advanced after his rival in the quarterfinals , the German Jan-Lennard Struff, will not appear due to illness.

The other semi-final will be 100% Italian and contested between Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Musetti. The first of them, a two-time champion of this tournament, defeated the Australian James Duckworth 6-4, 7-5, who had just surprised the second seed Ben Shelton.

The No. 95 in the PIF ATP Rankings will play his first semifinals on grass since he conquered Queen’s Club in 2022. He will now face Lorenzo Musetti for the second time, who leads the Lexus ATP HeadToHead 1-0 and who has just left Alexander behind Bublik. The Italian was leading 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 when the Kazakh had to retire due to injury.