Tennis-Draper downs Popyrin to reach Queen's quarter-finals, Mensik loses his cool
Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 18, 2025 Britain's Jack Draper celebrates after winning his round of 16 match against Australia's Alexei Popyrin Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
LONDON (Reuters) -British second seed Jack Draper defeated Alexei Popyrin 3-6 6-2 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals of the Queen's Club Championships on Wednesday, while Czech eighth seed Jakub Mensik lost his temper during defeat to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Draper won their only previous meeting when he beat Popyrin in straight sets earlier this year on his way to reaching the Qatar Open final, but faced a much tougher battle this time and needed the backing of the home crowd to pull him through.
"There's days where I need that extra support, today was one of them," Draper said.
"Tough match and credit to Alexei, it was a bit up and down but you guys helped me through that so thank you."
Draper found himself trailing when the Australian broke to lead 5-4 and served out to win the opening set but the 23-year-old Briton was unfazed and won four consecutive games to take the second set.
In the decider Draper held two match points with Popyrin serving, but the Australian rallied to win four unanswered points to make it 5-5.
In the tiebreak, Popyrin broke first and Draper responded. The Briton made the decisive break to lead 6-5 and smashed his 10th ace of the match to earn a hard-fought victory. He will face either British wildcard Dan Evans or American Brandon Nakashima.
"My family and friends are here and I love being at home and playing in front of them so it's an emotional moment for me honestly," Draper added.
Mensik crashed out after his 3-6 6-3 7-5 loss to Bautista Agut, receiving a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct at one stage.
Mensik won the Miami Open in March, beating Novak Djokovic in the final having defeated Bautista Agut in the first round, but at Queen's the teenager cut a frustrated figure as the 37-year-old Spaniard fought back after going a set down.
The Czech 19-year-old was 3-1 down in the second set and after failing to convert a break point he smashed his racket on the ground which then slipped from his hands and flew into the stands, where luckily there were plenty of empty seats.
The experienced Bautista Agut awaits the winner of the second round tie between Danish fourth seed Holger Rune and American qualifier Mackenzie McDonald.
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-FIFA hands four-match bans to Boca Juniors players sent off in Club World Cup opener
Jun 16, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; CA Boca Juniors defender Nicolas Figal (4) dribbles downfield during the second half against SL Benfica in a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images MIAMI (Reuters) -Boca Juniors players Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal were handed four-match bans by FIFA after being sent off in their Club World Cup opener against Benfica, a spokesperson for the Argentine club told Reuters on Wednesday. Boca disagreed with the sanctions imposed on their players after Benfica's Andrea Belotti received a two-match ban for catching Ayrton Costa in the head with a high boot in the 72nd minute. "We have already contacted FIFA to submit an appeal," said the club spokesperson. Spanish midfielder Herrera, who was subbed off due to a muscle injury, was shown a red card in the 45th minute after protesting to Mexican referee Cesar Ramos from the bench over a penalty awarded to the Portuguese side. Defender Figal was sent off in the 88th minute with a straight red card for a foul on Florentino Luis when the match was tied at 2-2. Boca will face Bayern Munich at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Friday in their second match in Group C. (Reporting by Ramiro Scandolo, writing by Janina Nuno Rios; Edited by Javier Leira and Toby Davis)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Fernandez moves past Bucsa to reach Nottingham quarter-finals
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 11, 2025, Canada's Leylah Fernandez in action during her round of 32 match against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo (Reuters) -Canadian fifth seed Leylah Fernandez cruised to the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open after a 6-3 6-4 win over Spain's Cristina Bucsa on Wednesday. The 2021 U.S. Open runner-up dominated the first set and overcame a spirited challenge from Bucsa in the second to secure her spot in the last eight. "Cristina's an amazing player and a great fighter. The last few times I played against her, it has always been a battle, so I knew today was going to be hard," Fernandez said. "I'm just happy with the way that I was able to start the match and then also maintain throughout the set and the second set. I was happy that I was able to be positive and use the crowd for me during important moments." The 22-year-old Fernandez will next face Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, who earned her quarter-final berth with a 6-2 2-6 6-4 win over Croatian qualifier Antonia Ruzic. Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova staged a comeback to beat fourth seed Yulia Putintseva 6-1 4-6 6-4, marking her first tour-level grass-court quarter-final. Putintseva had been aiming to avenge last month's Strasbourg Open loss to Sramkova but faltered despite taking the first set with ease. Sramkova will next play Czech seventh seed Linda Noskova, who registered an easy 6-1 6-3 win over British wildcard Francesca Jones. (Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Man City show squad depth in 2-0 Club World Cup win over Wydad
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group G - Manchester City v Wydad Casablanca - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 18, 2025 Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring their first goal with Nico O'Reilly and Jeremy Doku IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Caean Couto TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -Manchester City showcased their impressive squad depth in a 2-0 victory over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the Club World Cup on Wednesday, with manager Pep Guardiola rotating his team and resting key players. Goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku in the first half were enough to secure City's win in their Group G opener, as Guardiola handed opportunities to emerging talents and recent signings. Among those who stood out was 21-year-old Frenchman Rayan Cherki, signed from Olympique Lyonnais for 40 million euros ($45.86 million) ahead of the tournament. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: The match highlighted City's squad rebuilding efforts following their first trophyless season since 2016-17. The club invested significantly in the transfer market, adding Cherki and three other players in the summer window prior to the Club World Cup, spending around 110 million pounds ($147.40 million). This followed a busy January window aimed at refreshing Guardiola's project. KEY QUOTES: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "We are pretty pleased with what we saw today from those who played. We have new players; some players played in different positions. Vitor Reis played a really good game. Nathan Ake was several months without playing. We have so many players that we need to give them minutes. Otherwise, they never can get it. The next game, 10 new players are going to be there and try to win the next one." "It's a thin line we are having to deal with, a mix between pre-season withan important competition economically and of course for the prestige to play and win a Club World Cup from teams from all around the world. So mentally, you need to prepare for every game, play better. The target is improving, our level today was OK... So this is what we have to think about. To review how it was and where I have to make a step up." ($1 = 0.8722 euros) ($1 = 0.7463 pounds) (Reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Toby Davis)
