Jack Draper BEATS world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s

Less than 24 hours after Andy Murray brought the Queen’s Club crowd to a funereal hush, Jack Draper had them whooping and hollering as he delivered a seismic victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

‘There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with all my friends and family,’ said the 22-year-old after a 7-6, 6-3 win executed with poise, precision and aggression. ‘I’ve got my grandad here, just turned 80. My mum, my schoolfriends over there – and you guys (the crowd). Thank you, thank you.’

He faced only one break point, served eight aces and will be favourite when he faces American Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Facts and figures don’t do justice to this result but let’s have a few anyway. This was Draper’s first win against a player ranked in the world’s top four. He is the first Brit to beat a top-two-ranked player on grass since Andy Murray took down Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final. He’s the first local hero to knock out the top seed here in 52 years, since John Paish stunned Stan Smith.

World No2 Alcaraz was on a 13-match unbeaten run on grass, having also won Wimbledon last year, and in snapping that streak Draper extended his own: he is unbeaten in seven matches on the lawns after winning the first title of his career in Stuttgart.

Jack Draper (above) has pulled off an astonishing upset by beating world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz

Draper took the first set after a tiebreak, before dominating the Spaniard 6-3 in the second

Andrew Castle summed up the mood of hysteria by saying on the BBC: ‘I remember seeing Andy Murray here in 2005 against Thomas Johansson. It is reminiscent of that. If you can beat Alcaraz, reigning champion and superstar, I am genuinely excited. It is certainly a moment of arrival. It feels like the baton has been passed.’

As sudden as this may all seem from the outside, these last two weeks have been the result of Draper rebuilding and then reinforcing a body that has let him down too often.

‘I have been working for so many years now,’ said Draper. ‘After my injuries last year, I really started to fully invest in my tennis mentally, physically, emotionally. I was living it every day, all I think about since September. I have been making so many sacrifices and putting in the work all the time.

‘So even though it’s come together in the last two weeks, this is not overnight. This is years of doing it.’

It feels churlish to mention it, but 21-year-old Alcaraz did spend much of last week partying in Ibiza to celebrate his French Open victory, while Draper was winning the Stuttgart title – that is quite the contrast in preparation.

The enormous talent Draper possesses has been evident for some time – he was introduced to many British fans when he took the opening set off Djokovic in the first round of Wimbledon 2021 at the age of 19 – but the timing of this surge is a surprise.

Draper, under the guidance of new coach Wayne Ferreira, has been developing an attacking style to befit his 6ft 4in stature. During a grim clay court season, to say Draper looked a work in progress would be an understatement. He was like a lost boy at times but everything came together with that title in Stuttgart and now he doesn’t just look like a man; he looks like the (italics) man.

Draper’s biggest motivation in changing his approach is to improve his chances against the highest echelon of opposition – he had lost his last eight matches against top-10 players – so this was quite the vindication of Ferreira’s methods.

Alcaraz, who won Wimbledon last year, suffered a shock loss to the new Brit No 1 on Thursday

The 22-year-old tennis star is enjoying the best week of his career after claiming his first ever ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Stuttgart Open, establishing himself as Britain’s new No 1

He has developed an attacking style under the guidance of new coach Wayne Ferreira (left)

‘I just had to commit to being more aggressive, because I was losing matches because I wasn’t willing to grab the match and take it on my own terms,’ explained Draper.

‘The biggest difference is less fear of making errors, going after the ball more, and trying to play to win instead of for the opponents to miss. Often at this level, you drop the ball short, they don’t miss too much.’

On a 22oC day – the best weather of the week here in Baron’s Court – a quick grass court played even quicker and the games flew by until a first-set tiebreak, which Draper dominated 7-3.

The clearest evidence that this new offensive mindset has become ingrained in the Draper psyche came on the two biggest points of the match. At 3-2 in the second set, on the first break point for either player, Draper thumped a backhand return past Alcaraz for a winner. Then in the next game, Draper saved a break point by serving and volleying, hitting an unorthodox but effective double-handed, half-volley drop shot.

Draper is the first British player to beat a top-two-ranked player on grass since Andy Murray

Alcaraz, who won the French Open this month, endured a tough afternoon against Draper

The Queen’s Club crowd, basking in the sun, were positively cooing. Alcaraz mounted a rearguard, holding from two match points down at 2-5 and then going 30-0 up on the Draper serve. But Draper stuck to his big guns and won four points in a row to take the match.

What a performance this was. And what a turnaround from a first-round French Open defeat to qualifier Jesper de Jong. Draper hasn’t lost since – and looks unlikely to do so this week. Title No1 came last week; do not bet against No2 arriving like a west London bus.

A good day for British tennis got even better when 29-year-old wildcard Billy Harris earned only the third tour-level win of his career against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to join Draper in the last eight.

And they wrapped it all up before the football. God save the King.