Tennis Winston-Salem Open: Jack Draper beats Down Thiem to sail into quarterfinals

No. 13 seed Jack Draper continued his impressive run on his debut appearance at Winston-Salem Open with a comfortable straight-set victory. He has now advanced to the third quarterfinal for the season, having advanced to the last eight at the Eastbourne International and Montreal Open earlier this year.

Jack Draper began the opening set aggressively and raced to a 5-0 lead before clinching the first set 6-1. Dominic Thiem made more risky moves toward the net to build pressure on his British opponent but committed six double faults.

The 28-year-old Australian saved two break points at 2-2 and then another at 3–3. However, Jack Draper regained control in the ninth game and secured his victory on the outdoor Harcourts in North Carolina.

Jack Draper served eight aces, won 85% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of his Italian opponent three times from ten opportunities. He ended the match on a dominant note with ten winners to four unforced errors.

In contrast, Dominic Thiem served three aces, won 68% of the points on the first serve, and committed seven double faults.

In a post-match interview, Jack Draper said, "I started confidently. I started well. I was hitting through the ball and felt good in the conditions. It was a difficult start because I felt like everyone was supporting Dominic. I knew that I needed to come out confidently and sharp, and that's what I did."

Jack Draper will lock horns with Marc-Andrea Hüsler of Switzerland in the Winston-Salem Open quarterfinal clash on August 26.

The 26-year-old Swiss international advanced to the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(3) victory over defending champion Ilya Ivashka of Belarus.

In another match of the day, No. 2 seed Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands also advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 2 seed Jaume Munar of Spain 6-3, 6-3.

2021 US Open quarterfinalist Botic van de Zandschulp served seven aces and broke the serve of his Spanish opponent five times from seven opportunities to seal his victory.

Botic van de Zandschulp will next face Benjamin Bonzi of France in a quarterfinal clash on August 26.