Jack Draper survives Alexei Popyrin scare in Queen's Club epic, marches into quarterfinals

Jack Draper survived the ferocity of Alexei Popyrin at the Queen's Club Championships, and the local favorite advanced – not without difficulties – to the quarterfinals with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(5) victory. The World No. 6 found himself against an opponent who managed to take advantage in the first set and kept the outcome uncertain until the very last moment.

The Brit had a tough encounter against the former Canadian Open champion but ultimately secured a hard-fought win. In the quarterfinals, he will face the winner between Dan Evans and Brandon Nakashima – and if he obtains a victory, he will return to his best historical ranking as World No. 4.

First Set

It was a difficult start for Popyrin, as his serve was not entirely effective early on, and Draper quickly had a couple of break points. However, the Australian saved both opportunities, and both held their serve until the middle of the set.

The 7th game – with the score at 3-3 – again presented break opportunities for Draper, but the Australian managed to hold serve and maintain the lead. However, it was the Brit who succumbed in the final part under pressure. He started a poor service game at 0-40, and Popyrin took the decisive break on his first chance. A great service game to close sealed the set 6-3, to the surprise of the local crowd.

Second Set

The second set again started evenly, though Draper's first serve percentage dropped – from 70% to just 57%. Nevertheless, both maintained parity until 2-2. Although more long rallies were played than in the first set, this ultimately gave an advantage to the left-handed Draper, who always appeared more aggressive than his opponent when the point extended.

The latter part of the set was a streak for Draper, who capitalized on an evident decline in Popyrin's effectiveness and precision. The World No. 6 secured two consecutive breaks (converting 2/2 opportunities) and grew stronger on his serve. The 23-year-old ultimately took the set convincingly 6-2, sending everything to a decider and looking mentally stronger than his opponent.

Third Set

The full support of the local crowd was behind their representative, who managed to save a break point against him in the first game of the set. This time, the differences were minimal, with neither player having break points again for long stretches of the match. Popyrin faced pressure when serving at 4-5, 15-40, facing two match points, but good first serves ultimately kept him in the match.

At 5-5, both defended their service games and sent the match to a tie-break. The deciding set had a fitting end, with Popyrin being the first to secure a mini-break, putting him ahead. The Australian was up 4-2, but this time he faltered under pressure. Draper hit the accelerator and showed his resilience, winning 5 of the last 6 points played and closing out a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(5) victory.

Match Statistics Popyrin vs. Draper