How Jack Draper could land French Open title after 'clinical' Joao Fonseca win
Jack Draper was 'very clinical' in his 6-2 6-4 6-2 victory over Joao Fonseca – and is now has a genuine shot of winning the French Open.
The British tennis star has taken his game on clay to another level and next faces Alexander Bublik in the fourth round of singles at Roland-Garros.
Traditionally, British players have struggled on the red dirt and not even the legendary Andy Murray was able to land a French Open title in his career.
But with no Rafael Nadal to compete with, the path to Roland-Garros glory could be somewhat simpler for world No.5 Draper in Paris. Here's why…
Draper was at his very best in his straight-sets victory over Brazilian teenager Fonseca, who is tipped for a massive future in the sport.
'Jack Draper has been flawless,' former American tennis player Ryan Harrison said on commentary duties for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
'All the pressure [was] on Joao Fonseca since the word go. He [was] trying to change his positioning but it [seemed] like he is searching for answers.
'Draper has been very clinical. I'm so impressed with how Jack Draper [was] using that forehand down the line behind Fonseca.'
Draper will be a huge favourite in his next match at Roland-Garros, with the British No.1 set to face Kazakhstan's world No.62 Bublik.
The 23-year-old was previously on a collision course with Alex de Minaur but the Australian ninth-seed suffered a shock second-round exit to Bublik.
Draper has faced Bublik twice on the ATP Tour to date and won both of their meetings in straight sets, most recently in Adelaide last year.
This is where things start to get a little tricky for Draper. If he wins in the fourth round, as expected, he's projected for a quarter-final showdown with Jannik Sinner.
Analysis from Metro's dedicated tennis reporter Liam Grace…
Draper would surely be incredibly fired up for a quarter-final clash with Sinner at Roland-Garros.
The British star would be seeking revenge after Sinner eliminated him in the US Open semi-finals last year – one of the biggest matches of his career to date.
While Sinner is the world No.1, Draper would be facing the Italian at a really good time.
Sinner has impressed at this year's French Open – but he's only played one event in three months after his temporary ban from the sport.
Draper is remarkably fit – so if he is able to take the match into four or five sets – he'd surely have a key advantage over Sinner in Paris.
Sinner has previously lost to Draper – at Queen's Club four years ago in their only other meeting – which may give the Brit the confidence he needs to get the job done.
Should he battle past Sinner, Draper would then be set for a projectedclash with Novak Djokovic, 38, who despite his huge tally of 24 Grand Slam titles, has not been at his best in 2025 and clay is not his favoured surface.
A triumph over Djokovic would set up a possible French Open final against the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who Draper knows how to beat, having won two of their six meetings to date.
Draper secured a superb victory over Alcaraz at Indian Wells earlier this year before he went on the land the title at the prestigious tournament.
While Alcaraz would be the favourite – and won their most recent meeting in Rome – Draper is capable of beating him if he produces his best tennis.
Tennis legend John McEnroe has been left blown away by Draper's performances at the French Open this year and feels he could finish his career with a number of Grand Slam titles. More Trending
Speaking after Draper's impressive second-round win over Gael Monfils, McEnroe told TNT Sports: 'I tell you one thing, he won a lot of fans tonight with the way he played.
'It's one of those matches that you're proud to be a tennis player… You see Draper maturing, playing better and better on the spot.
'I mean, I'll be surprised if he doesn't win multiple majors. It is incredible how much he's improving and how great a player he's become.'
Former British No.1 Tim Henman added: 'There's no doubt that there are people ahead of him in terms of lists of favourites, but if he keeps playing like that, he is most definitely in the conversation [to win the French Open].'
MORE: French Open tennis star 'didn't feel safe' after nasty incident during match
MORE: Mark Petchey furious with Emma Raducanu critics: 'Everyone is living in 2021'
MORE: Emma Raducanu crashes out of French Open before 'cold' Iga Swiatek handshake
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd encounter hold-up in Matheus Cunha's unveiling after £62.5m transfer
Manchester United announced the signing of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha on Sunday in a £62.5million transfer deal, but he wasn't unveiled in their usual fashion Manchester United fans will have to wait another fortnight to get their first look at new signing Matheus Cunha in a red shirt. The Red Devils announced on Sunday that they'd agreed to sign Cunha from Wolves, paying his £62.5million release clause to make the Brazilian their first addition of the summer transfer window. Cunha, 26, has signed a five-year contract which keeps him at Old Trafford until June 2030. There's also an option to extend his stay by a further 12 months. Supporters noticed, however, that United's announcement was relatively low-key. The Red Devils didn't post any images of Cunha, nor were there any quotes available from boss Ruben Amorim or another figure at Old Trafford. Instead, a brief statement was posted on the club's website confirming that Cunha's hot-anticipated arrival was 'subject to visa and registration'. " Manchester United has reached agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for the signing of Matheus Cunha," it read. "The Brazilian forward's signing is subject to visa and registration. The 26 year-old has 13 senior caps for Brazil, and, in his club career, has made 270 appearances and scored 72 goals in the English, Spanish, German and Swiss top flights. "During two-and-a-half seasons at Wolves, Cunha has scored 33 goals in 92 appearances. Everyone at Manchester United looks forward to welcoming Matheus to Old Trafford." It's understood that United will complete the signing of Cunha and unveil him after the international break which starts this week. The forward has been called up to play for Brazil, as the five-time World Cup winners face Ecuador and Paraguay over the next fortnight under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. Cunha also hasn't commented on his move publicly. The ex-Atletico Madrid star stayed at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester on Saturday with his family before jetting off to Brazil, where he'll hope to build on a his good final season with Wolves, scoring 17 goals and providing six assists in 36 games. Wolves, who helped avoid relegation thanks to Cunha's form, confirmed that his departure will earn them a club-record fee. The Premier League side added in their statement: "Everyone at Wolves would like to thank Matheus for his contributions in old gold and wish he and his family the best of luck for the future."
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
The Rangers realisation that astounded Andrew Cavenagh as Dave King hopes board mood swings are now thing of the past
King reckons that now the grownups in charge, the boardroom moodswings that have plagued the club will become a thing of the past Say what you want about the men who've run Rangers for the past decade but you can't fault the devotion to a club most have supported since they were wearing short trousers. Around the boardroom, tens of millions have been poured into a passion first developed as children. The trouble is that much of those huge sums have been squandered by a series of blunders verging on the schoolboy. The job now for the new American regime in control at Ibrox is to return the Light Blues to the top of the class in Scotland. And if there's one thing offering re-assurance to Dave King, it's that the grown ups are now in charge. The former chairman was one of those boyhood supporters who gave his all - and most certainly his fortunes - in the pursuit of making Rangers great again. But having been born and raised in Glasgow, the Castlemilk native was as susceptible as any of the men he shared the director's table with of getting caught up amidst the reactionary mindset of the larger Ibrox faithful. He saw how a bad night in Perth or Paisley could lead to dire consequences for the manager in the dugout. But with the mature heads of Andrew Cavenagh and his partners from 49ers Enterprises now in charge, King hopes the days of boardroom mood swings are over. King - who handed over his 14 percent stake in the club last week as the US consortium concluded their £75million takeover - said: 'I remember speaking to Andrew and he was astounded by the extent to which we won a game, we lost a game, and there was doom and gloom at board level. 'As supporters you can do that, but as a board you can't be making decisions around transfer business because you lost on Wednesday night in Paisley. 'You need a proper football plan, a proper financial plan. I think sometimes when you've got too many supporters on the board, immediate results start to introduce knee-jerk thinking - 'Get him out, get him in, fire the manager'. 'You've got to be careful that you don't get caught up in that because it's dangerous. I think the new owners are going to come in with a plan and they'll stick to it. 'When things don't go well, it'll be fine. They won't throw the plan aside. I'm expecting that level of maturity because these are very mature investor business people who are looking at Rangers in a very mature way. "These are not some supporter that's coming in because the jacket, tie and brown brogues are important to them. 'They see Rangers as a great business opportunity and quite frankly, it is. 'But it was never going to be one as long as it remained a parochial cap-in-hand set-up. It can't be, 'Oh we need a couple of million quid so let's go around the directors and get a loan'. 'We had to break away from that. It's something I thought we had with 55, keeping Steven Gerrard on board and defending the title. 'I really thought we'd turned the corner, but unfortunately, it was decided to take Steven out of the picture. 'I regret that, but it is what it is. We are where we are. 'I'm definitely excited, genuinely excited about the progress the club will make now this transaction has gone through.' Cavenagh and Co have kicked-off the new era at Ibrox with a promise to inject an initial £20million into the club's transfer kitty. That will do for starters but more, a lot more, will be needed to make Rangers a serious contender for prizes. Taking on a Celtic side that have lifted 13 of the last 14 league crowns will not be easy but King is confident that new owners grasp the appetite for success which is now their job to feed. 'I do think that's an exact understanding,' he said. 'The ambition most certainly must be to win a trophy next season. 'My understanding is the expectation is to be competitive next season. 'I think the squad that we've got at the moment is way short of what we need to have a sustained run at the title while simultaneously participating in Europe. 'It's no surprise this year that the guys were up for it in Europe because that's just almost a mentality aspect of Europe. 'I don't know if some of them regarded that as being a shopping window - but the fact is they weren't quite up for going to Perth or Paisley or places like that. 'We need people that understand it the way Barry Ferguson did. 'Barry and guys like Allan McGregor understand what it takes to win league titles. 'It's not about the glamour games. It's about going away in a wet, windy, cold night to Aberdeen, to St Johnstone and grinding out an ugly 1-0 result. 'When I looked at the team, when we were down with 40 minutes to go, I wasn't seeing the leadership on the pitch. 'I wasn't seeing the characters on the pitch that were saying, come on, and grabbing them. 'If that was Richard Gough, he'd have been tackling the guys himself. 'I think we're way short on players. That's why I'm trying to moderate expectations to say as much as the 49ers are coming in to make an impact as quickly as they can and as sensibly as they can, I'm just concerned it might take a wee bit longer than we as supporters would like. 'But it doesn't mean we won't be going forward all the time.' A fresh pile of American's dollars will certainly help Rangers close the gap on Celtic. But just as valuable will be the business and sporting expertise being brought to the table by the Stateside consortium with their NFL experience. King added: 'They're not guys that are just going to throw money at the club. 'There's going to be a football plan and there's going to be a financial plan behind that. 'Andrew and the investors coming in understand there's going to have to be a substantial net investment. 'It's really how much is going in total because we have to get some guys out as well. 'We've been paying a lot of money for players, some that virtually never started and others that give us very little time on the pitch. 'If they can get them out and free up the wages and add the new money, then it could be a very, very substantial new investment.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Jack Draper's ready to fire more forehand bullets as he channels Rafael Nadal at the French Open - but his next opponent is riding high after a Las Vegas bender
As the new plaque of his footprint on Court Philippe Chatrier demonstrates, Rafael Nadal 's legacy at Roland Garros is eternal. His inspiration can be traced through the next generation - including our very own Jack Draper and his brutal forehand. The similarities in the two men's strokes are impossible to miss. The coiling of musclebound shoulders. The whiplash swing of a left arm, sending the ball fizzing through the air to land, grip on the clay then spit towards the opponent at head height. Draper has until now been hesitant to embrace the comparison. 'It's hard for me to look at my own forehand,' said the 23-year-old, who faces Alexander Bublik today in his first visit to the fourth round of the French Open. 'I can appreciate it's getting better and better but I still watch Rafa and… his forehand's a joke. But I definitely understand the comparison of how it's kicking up and the spin and the speed of it.' Like Nadal, Draper uses the height and spin of his forehand to push opponents back, leaving them vulnerable to the drop shot - a one-two punch which was incredibly effective in his third-round victory over Joao Fonseca. Draper's forehand lacks the curl of Nadal's, meaning it is harder for him to replicate the classic Rafa pattern of swinging the ball away from the right-hander's backhand. That lack of swing is not all downside, though - as Nadal's forehand angled away from the backhand side, it angled into the forehand side, making it easier for opponents to cover that space. Draper can fire a more direct arrow down the line. As a fellow right-hander who plays leftie, Nadal was a touchstone for young Draper. When I visited his first tennis club in Sutton last year, members told stories of young Jack playing in sleeveless tops to look more like Rafa. 'I modelled myself on his game but more so his competitive nature, his doggedness,' said Draper. 'I loved Rafa - the grunt, everything. He massively inspired me to become the player I am and hopefully I can get to his level.' If Draper has internalised Nadal's Stakhanovite work ethic, the same cannot be said of his next opponent, who puts his recent uptick in form down to a three-day bender in Las Vegas. Bublik is one of the great talkers in the game, so let's allow him the floor to explain how he went from a career high to a career low, then recovered. 'After Wimbledon 2024, I got to No 17 in the world,' he began. 'Then I'm like, "OK, I have to practise harder". Work on my diet, stop drinking, stop partying. 'Be a more professional soldier. Right now everybody is like robots, crazy, crazy performance guys. My fall was not linked with lack of attitude and lack of practising. It was the exact opposite. I just burned out. 'Then it was the other way around. I was No 80 in the world. My coach suggested a trip to Vegas in between Indian Wells and Phoenix. 'I said, OK, let's go to Vegas, and it worked.' To clarify, was this a training trip to Vegas? 'No, Vegas Vegas, like The Hangover Vegas,' said Bublik, referencing the 2009 stag-party-gone-wrong comedy film. The 27-year-old went straight from Nevada to Phoenix, Arizona, for a lower-tier Challenger event. He made the final, and then won his next Challenger in Turin. 'I came there to win,' said Bublik. 'I have to take matches more seriously, and I did. It's as simple as that. There was a shift in the mentality because I had no options whatsoever.' On his last-16 opponent, Bublik said: 'Jack, for me, is insane. I saw him here and I said, "Are you getting ready for UFC?" 'Last year the guy is No 40 in the world. This year he is top five. That's a crazy achievement. He doesn't seem to stop. 'What do I have to do to beat him? I don't know. I will just go there, enjoy the time - we all know what I'm capable of doing on court.' The Kazakhstani is capable of almost anything. If his array of tweeners, underarm serves and general zaniness gives the impression of a man messing around, Bublik insists he is just maximising his chances of victory against the 'robots'. 'I'm not a fighting person,' said Bublik. 'To win against the best of the best, I have to find ways to outplay them because they will outwork me, outrun me. 'Against Jack, I'm not capable physically of running for five hours. I would die, literally. I'm worrying about my health over tennis. So I find a way to beat these guys with what I have - and I have a lot, in terms of an arsenal of shots. Sometimes I have to go for what seem like crazy shots, but this is the only option I have.' If Draper needs reminding of how dangerous the world No 62 can be, he could ask Alex de Minaur. The No 9 seed took a two-set lead over Bublik in the second round before being blown away in 90 minutes of lights-out shotmaking. Draper has tuned up nicely for this test, riding out similar purple patches from Mattia Bellucci and Gael Monfils in the first and second rounds. 'I don't need to play my best to win matches because my base level is high,' said Draper. 'If I play point by point at that level, it's tough for guys to beat me. 'Especially if they're up and down, like Monfils or Bublik. They're gonna play some great tennis and they could beat me for sure, but I know it's going to be very tough (for them) because I'm always going to be at that level.' Sentiments of which Rafa would be proud.
