Jannik Sinner heaps praise on ‘good friend’ Jack Draper ahead of their semifinal clash at the US Open

Ahead of their semifinal match, Jannik Sinner praised Jack Draper as the Brit has not yet dropped a set at the 2024 US Open.

Jannik Sinner heaps praise on ‘good friend’ Jack Draper ahead of their semifinal clash at the US Open

Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper (Images via X)

Jannik Sinner registered his sixth victory over Daniil Medvedev in their 13th meeting when they clashed in the quarterfinals of the US Open. With a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win, Sinner avenged his quarterfinal defeat and set up the semifinal clash with 25th seed Jack Draper. Ahead of making his first semifinal appearance at Flushing Meadows, Sinner praised Draper’s game. 

Draper, who will also be playing his first US Open semifinal, hasn’t yet dropped a set. In his previous round, the Brit knocked out 10th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in 2 hours and 7 minutes. Before this US Open, Draper has never gone past the fourth round of a Grand Slam.

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We know each other very well. We are good friends off the court. It’ll be a tough one. He’s playing incredibly. He hasn’t lost a set yet. He’s playing very, very well. So let’s see what’s coming. I’m just happy to be in the semis. Let’s see who plays better in a couple of days.
Jannik Sinner said after the match

Draper has met Sinner just once, at the 2021 Queen’s Club Championships, and won it in straight sets. The 22-year-old is now 30-17 on the season and has won his first and only title in Stuttgart in 2024. 

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Jack Draper happy to play his first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium

Jack Draper played his first-ever match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium when he locked horns with Alex de Minaur. After cruising past the Australian, Draper admitted that he was happy to make his first appearance on the famous court at Flushing Meadows. 

Jannik Sinner (2)
Jannik Sinner (Image via X) 
It’s amazing. My first time at Arthur Ashe Stadium meant the world to me. I played a solid match and I feel the best, fitness-wise, that I have felt in a long time.
Jack Draper said after the match 

Draper also became the first British man to progress to the semifinals at the US Open since Andy Murray in 2012. Jannik Sinner on the other hand has now advanced to the semifinals at the four Grand Slam events this season, becoming the first man born in the 1900s or 2000s to achieve this. Sinner is also the first Italian man in the Open Era to do so.

The 23-year-old is also the third Italian to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era. He is on a 10-match winning streak on the North American hard-court swing, having won the Cincinnati Masters before arriving in New York. 

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