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JACK DRAPER GIVES BRUTALLY HONEST VERDICT ON ITALIAN OPEN WIN OVER CORENTIN MOUTET AS BRIT OVERCOMES WOEFUL START TO ADVANCE TO CARLOS ALCARAZ CLASH: 'I WAS BAMBOOZLED'
- Jack Draper beat Corentin Moutet to reach the quarter-finals of the Italian Open
- The 23-year-old lost the first set 1-6 and admitted he was 'bamboozled' at first
Jack Draper admitted he was totally bamboozled by the maverick stylings of Corentin Moutet, but the world No5 did what top players do: he found a way to win, and will face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open.
Moutet is one of the game’s great eccentrics, and he swept through the opening set with a cocktail of drop shots, lobs and serve-volley raids.
‘I was bamboozled at the start to be honest,’ Draper told Sky Sports’ Gigi Salmon after his 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. ‘I haven’t played someone like that in…well, ever. I just felt like I was on a string, like I didn’t know what I was doing.
‘I came out in the second set, just fought for every point and found my way in the end.’
It is a cliche to describe a game-style such as Moutet’s as ‘dizzying’ - but in this instance that is literally the case.
‘I was looking at the slide marks on the clay after one game, and I was literally covering the whole court with drop and…I don’t know what was going on my brain was…I’ve got dizziness from it.
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| The world No5 beat Moutet and will face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open |
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| The world No5 beat Moutet and will face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open |
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| 'I don’t know what was going on my brain was... I’ve got dizziness from it,' Jack Draper said |
‘To come through that one was amazing.’
Draper looked shattered at the end, as he has to a degree all fortnight, coming in straight after his run to the Madrid Open final. It feels more like mental than physical weariness; the weariness that comes with day after day of the rinse and repeat of train, warmup, match, warmdown.
After that first set, how easy it would have been to fade away - many players would have done so. Draper badly wants a rest but he wants the win even more.
Before the match, Sky Sports did a montage, set to a Benny Hill-type soundtrack, of Moutet’s wildest moments: demanding coffee from the umpire, snapping his racket over his knee, having to rush to his bag because his phone was going off.
There were no antics in the first set, though: just varied and highly effective tennis.
It was at 3-3 in the second set when the only moment of controversy occurred - and it was VAR related.
Moutet hit a drop shot which Draper ran down. Moutet netted his next shot and used the video review system to check whether his drop shot had bounced twice before Draper made contact.
Umpire Nico Helwerth watched the replays, broadcast on the big screen, with Moutet jabbering away at him as he tried to make his decision.
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| ‘I was bamboozled at the start to be honest,’ he said after his 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory on Tuesday |
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| Moutet swept through the opening set with a cocktail of drop shots, lobs and serve-volley raids |
Draper mainly watched in silence, leaning on the net. He mildly remarked: ‘I think I got it up.’
He clearly did, and umpire Nico Helwerth agreed.
The decision had been made but Moutet demanded a replay of one of the angles and Helwerth foolishly granted his wish.
‘Zoom, zoom, zoom,’ cried moutet as the replay came up, like an excitable film director, but the decision stood.
Would Draper’s focus be affected by the row? He was not, and in fact the incident served to interrupt the flow of Moutet’s freeform jazz.
In the next game Moutet hit two double faults as Draper broke for 5-3. The Brit gave a huge bellow; Moutet tossed his racket into the backboard.
But in the next game Draper made a mess of a drop shot and then double faulted to go 0-40 down. He conceded the break with a truly horrific attempt at a double-handed backhand drop shot.
He came again though and broke for the set, cupping an ear to the supertennis arena crowd.
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| Draper beat Czech player Vít Kopřiva 6-4 6-3 in Rome to reach the last 16 against Moutet |
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| Draper was narrowly beaten 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 by Casper Ruud in the final of the Madrid Open |
Moutet then took a five minute and 30 second toilet break before a final set which promised much.
The next drop of drama came at 3-3 when Moutet began to cramp, calling for the trainer to massage his left hamstring. It was no great surprise, given he came in off a three-hour, 44-minute win against Casper Ruud.
Draper went into lockdown mode in the next game and broke with a forehand ripped up the line.
As he did in the second set, Draper wobbled when serving it out, but from 15-30 down he played four rock-solid points to take the match.
At 23-years-old, he is the youngest British man in the Open Era to reach the last eight in Rome and one more victory will see him overtake Taylor Fritz as the world No4.
That win will not come easily, of course, against Alcaraz. This will be their third meeting of the year: Draper retired after one set of their fourth-round at the Australian Open, then won in the Indian Wells semis en route to the title.
Draper has beaten Alcaraz on grass in Stuttgart and hard courts in California. Can he now beat him on clay? That is the tallest order of the lot, but if we have learned anything from this match - and this season - it is to never count Draper out.
- MATTHEW LAMBWELL
Tuesday, 6 May 2025
CASPER RUUD CAPTURES FIRST MASTERS 100O TITLE IN MADRID
The Norwegian star overcomes Jack Draper in straight sets to win the biggest title of his career.
Casper Ruud achieved a significant milestone in his tennis career by winning the 2025 Madrid Open, marking his first ATP Masters 1000 title. In a closely contested final, Ruud overcame Britain’s Jack Draper with a scoreline of 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, showcasing resilience and a strong will to win on the clay courts of Madrid.
"This victory is particularly noteworthy as it ends Ruud’s streak of losses in major finals, including previous defeats in Miami 2022, Monte Carlo 2024, and three Grand Slam finals. The win not only adds a prestigious title to his resume but also propels him back into the ATP Top 10, now ranked World No. 7.
Jack Draper, despite the loss, has had a remarkable run in 2025. His performance in Madrid, including victories over top players, has elevated him to World No. 5, making him the fourth British man to reach the ATP Top 5. At 23 years and 121 days old, Draper also became the youngest British man in the Open Era to reach ATP finals on clay, grass, and hard courts.
To secure this win, Casper Ruud navigated a challenging draw. He commenced his campaign with a straight-sets victory over Alexander Shevchenko in the second round. In the third round, Ruud faced and defeated Sebastian Korda. The fourth round saw him overcome Taylor Fritz, followed by a quarterfinal win against Daniil Medvedev. In the semifinals, Ruud bested Francisco Cerundolo before clinching the title with a hard-fought victory over Jack Draper in the final.
Inside the Baseline…
Ruud’s Madrid title feels like a long time coming and well-earned. Often overshadowed by flashier opponents, Casper Ruud has quietly built one of the most consistent clay-court resumes on tour. This win not only silences questions about his ability to win the big ones, but it firmly places him among the favorites for Roland Garros. His game may not scream highlight-reel, but it now screams champion.
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NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEATS JIRI LEHECKA IN STRAIGHT SETS AND WILL FACE CARLOS ALCARAZ IN LAST EIGHT OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN
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| Novak Djokovic celebrates beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP) |
Novak Djokovic will take on Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Alcaraz benefited from Jack Draper’s retirement after two sets of their clash before Djokovic defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4).
It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.
Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.
His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.
Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.
His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.
Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.
Djokovic, under the guidance of his long-time rival Andy Murray, began the tournament slowly, dropping sets against unfancied Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria.
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| Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP) |
But he stepped up a level against Tomas Machac in round three, and he played an impressive match against another Czech in 24th seed Lehecka.
The only slight blip came at the start of the third set, when he broke serve only to be broken straight back, while Djokovic again seemed unhappy with the behaviour of some of the crowd.
The 37-year-old refused to do the customary post-match interview, instead taking the microphone to thank fans for coming, prompting loud booing on Rod Laver Arena.
There were plenty of Serbian flags evident in the stands, and it will be interesting to see who the crowd favours when Djokovic takes on Alcaraz
The Spaniard, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.
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| Carlos Alcaraz, left, has won back-to-back Wimbledon finals against Novak Djokovic (Mike Egerton/PA) |
“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.
“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.
“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”
The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.
The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.
- Eleanor Crooks in Melbourne
Monday, 4 September 2023
NOVAK DJOKOVIC DRAGGED INTO US OPEN DRAMA AS CARLOS ALCARAZ ACT RAISES EYEBROWS
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| Getty/X |
The bizarre scenes brought back memories of the infamous Novak Djokovic 'magic potion' saga for tennis fans.
Carlos Alcaraz has been captured in bizarre scenes involving a ball kid and a mysterious pill at the US Open, in drama reminiscent of Novak Djokovic's infamous 'magic potion' saga. Alcaraz powered his way into the fourth round in New York after an impressive 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win against Britain's Dan Evans.