Jack Draper, the top British tennis player, made an impressive entrance into the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open with a commanding victory over Christopher O’Connell. Draper showcased his dominance by not allowing even a single break point and sealing a 6-2 6-1 win in just under an hour against the Australian competitor.
Currently ranked as the world number 16, Draper is competing in his first tournament since an unfortunate injury forced him to retire during the fourth round against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open in January. From the outset, Draper took control, securing a break in the opening game and again at 4-2, allowing him to smoothly claim the first set. O’Connell barely managed to put up a fight, winning just a single game in the second set.
Draper’s next challenge will be against either Tallon Griekspoor or Matteo Berrettini, the latter having made headlines by dispatching Novak Djokovic in straight sets earlier on Tuesday.
If Draper continues his winning ways, he might find himself in a semi-final showdown with Alcaraz, who later in the day bested Italy’s Luca Nardi in a tightly contested match, 6-1 4-6 6-3. Alcaraz, a four-time major champion, has been on a remarkable streak, winning 12 consecutive matches at ATP 500 events. He is set to face the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals.
In other news from Doha, Alex de Minaur celebrated a milestone with his 200th tour-level hard-court victory, overcoming Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 6-4. This win sets up a thrilling quarter-final clash against fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who triumphed over Nuno Borges with a score of 6-3 6-4. Meanwhile, world number six Daniil Medvedev breezed past Zizou Bergs 6-2 6-1 and will now meet Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced after Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic withdrew due to injury.
