Briton into world’s top four after win over Nakashima
Carlos Alcaraz beats Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4
Jack Draper is a perfectionist in every sense of the word, which means that for the third consecutive match he departed the court quite unimpressed by the level of tennis he demonstrated. There were, after all, quite a few self-sabotaging concentration lapses, his forehand was sometimes too erratic and he did not always seem comfortable moving on the slick grass.
In the most important moments, however, when the match hung in the balance, the 23-year-old locked in and produced his best tennis. Once again, the British No 1 held his nerve in the final stages of a tough three-setter as he defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at Queen’s Club for the first time in his career.
The victory means Draper will return to his career-high ranking of No 4 on Monday, securing him a top-four seeding at Wimbledon. At a time when almost every player wishes to avoid an early meeting with Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, he cannot face either of the world’s top two before the semi-finals.
