Britain’s Draper battles previous Mmoh to succeed in second week at US Open
J
ack Draper has reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the primary time after beating American Michael Mmoh within the third spherical of the US Open.
The British No4 silenced the house crowd with a gritty show in a 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory.
The Grandstand court docket at Flushing Meadows is an intimidating place for an abroad participant taking up an American, however Draper had nearly emptied it when he went 2-0 forward.
Mmoh, ranked 89 on the planet, hit again within the third, however Draper dug deep to interrupt for 4-2 within the fourth earlier than clinching an enormous win.
Grandstand can be the court docket which Draper damage his hamstring a yr in the past in his third-round match towards Karen Khachanov, forcing him to retire.
The 21-year-old has been beset by accidents ever since and was a doubt to even play in New York attributable to a tear in his shoulder.
Yet Draper, serving with much less vim than common in a bid to handle the issue, nonetheless thumped 52 winners to surge into the final 16.
He stated: “It was a tough match, Michael is an incredible player who has had a great year and I knew would be a challenge. I was proud of the way I came through it.
“Last yr was actually troublesome, I injured myself and did not need that to occur immediately. To come it by means of after a troublesome yr for me, I’m very pleased.”