British number one Jack Draper fought back from a set down to come through a tricky last-16 encounter with Alexei Popyrin and keep alive his hopes of a maiden title at Queen’s, reports the BBC
Draper had breezed through his opening match against Jenson Brooksby on Tuesday, raising hopes he could follow in Andy Murray’s footsteps and win his home tournament.
Those hopes will have been increased further after the 23-year-old dug deep to overcome world number 21 Popyrin, who knocked Novak Djokovic out of last year’s US Open.
The gruelling encounter in the west London sun went the distance but Draper came out on top in a thrilling third-set tie-break to progress 3-6 6-2 7-6 (7-5) , with the Briton punching the air in delight after sealing the win with an ace.
Draper’s win means there remains the prospect of an all-British quarter-final.
He could next face Dan Evans if the former British number one beats American Brandon Nakashima in his last-16 match later on Wednesday.
