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17 January 2025, 14:00 GMT
Britain’s Jack Draper fought through his third successive five-set epic at the Australian Open to tee up a blockbuster meeting with Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round.
Draper, seeded 15th, won 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8) against home hope Aleksandar Vukic in another late-night thriller.
The British number one had already quelled a partisan Australian crowd with a comeback win over Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday – and showed more of his monster mentality two days later.
Draper, 23, led by a break in the decider before Vukic – who belied his ranking of 86th in the world – refused to wilt and forced a match tie-break.
A throaty roar from Draper signalled his delight – and relief – at coming through in almost four hours just before 1am local time.
“I’m very, very proud of my efforts from the physical part of things,” said Draper, a 2024 US Open semi-finalist who is playing his first tournament of the season after a hip injury.
“I’m obviously not feeling incredibly fresh right now, but I’ll recover again. I’ll do my best to go again for another one.”
Draper, who is the only Briton left in the men’s singles, will look to end 21-year-old third seed Alcaraz’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam on Sunday.
Draper’s childhood rival Jacob Fearnley, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise since turning professional in April, was beaten by German second seed Alexander Zverev earlier on Friday.
Emma Raducanu is the only Briton left in the women’s singles and plays second seed Iga Swiatek on Saturday at 00:30 GMT.
There will be live commentary of that match on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
Draper shows durability again
Playing back-to-back five-setters for the first time in his career – and winning them both against Argentina’s Mariano Navone and Kokkinakis to set up the Vukic match – provided a deep sense of satisfaction for Draper.
There was a time not too long ago when the left-handed Englishman lamented being known as “the guy who is injured a lot”.
The early part of his career was challenging because of regular physical issues and it was no coincidence his ascension of the ATP rankings last year came as a result of spending more time on court.
Draper’s fullest season so far led to a first ATP title, taking over as British number one and the run to the US Open semi-finals which alerted him to a wider audience.
A hip injury which disrupted his off-season not only came at an unfortunate time, it allowed the people who questioned his durability to resurface.
“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge stride forward,” Draper said.
“The fact that I’ve come through three five-set matches, mentally and physically, it doesn’t happen often.
“That’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in.”
How Draper came through another battle
When the Briton clinched the first set against Vukic in 30 minutes, it seemed like a more straightforward night would lie ahead.
Vukic, a 28-year-old late bloomer playing in the third round of a major for the first time, caused damage with his forehand but did not have the consistency to turn an early break into a lead.
Draper fought back with the help of some explosive hitting, including a running forehand winner around the net post which drew gasps from the crowd.
However, Draper’s level plummeted in the second and third sets as Vukic turned the match around.
Smashing a racquet on the court, and having a pop at the booing fans, allowed a tense Draper to let off some steam before the fourth.
A tight set produced more shots from both men worthy of the match highlights reel, including a precise inside-out forehand across the court and a backhand volley from Vukic which saved two set points.
Draper continued to move forward in the court more at the start of the decider, helping him pinch an early break.
Vukic, who was also taken the distance for a third straight match, fed off the crowd energy to recover again.
The first-to-10 match tie-break was a fitting end to settle the contest and Draper, having led 3-0 and trailed 6-5, placed an unreturned first serve down the middle on his second match point.
“It was an unbelievably tough match. Both of us have played a lot of sets already so I knew it would be hard. It was a lot of ebbs and flows,” said Draper.
“I thought it was done and he came back from the dead. It was a great battle and two competitors going at it. That’s what sport is all about.”
