Jack Draper’s gunslinger mentality raises hopes of deep US Open run after reaching second week

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Jack Draper passed a challenging mental test to reach the second week of the US Open, taking full advantage of the way that his draw had suddenly opened up.
Serving 12 aces and giving up only a single break of serve, he ousted Botic van der Zandschulp – the unheralded world No74 who had ambushed Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday in arguably the biggest grand-slam shock of the decade.
From Draper’s perspective, Alcaraz’s exit was clearly a bonus. There is no-one in the locker room who wouldn’t rather play van der Zandschulp, a languid Dutchman with a big forehand but a reputation for flakiness.
But Thursday night’s upset changed the whole psychology of Draper’s first week. Previously, he would have been building up to a night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, in which he would have been able to swing freely in the hope of staging his own surprise.
Now, from nowhere, he had an apparently open pathway into the later stages of this tournament – a scenario that brings its own pressure.
Draper is the sort of player you worry about in these circumstances. Where some tennis pros wear blinkers, he is aware of the big picture: not only what is going on in the tournament, but also his new role as the highest-profile British male in the absence of Andy Murray.
“I feel a responsibility to really play good tennis and be the British No1,” said Draper on the eve of this tournament, which is a laudable ambition, but also the sort of intent that can end up weighing you down like an anchor.
Draper wasn’t spectacular against van der Zanschulp on the Grandstand Court, but he did put in a highly professional performance – which, in the circumstances, was an admirable feat.
Van der Zandschulp is a streaky player who can just as easily reel off half-a-dozen clean winners or serve back-to-back double-faults. Indeed, the last set found the Dutchman leaking double-faults at a rapid rate, so that Draper didn’t really have to do anything to break.
In the circumstances, the key thing was to give away few freebies and keep the rally shots deep towards van der Zandschulp’s baseline. Draper did that, and also showed a gunslinger’s cold mentality at the big moments. The key statistic was the number of break points he saved: nine out of ten in the match.
It was an interesting performance tactically, because Draper has spoken a great deal this year about the need to go forward and kill points at the net. He didn’t really press too much here, perhaps feeling that van der Zandschulp was going to give him a present sooner or later if he simply kept things solid.
The heat on the Grandstand Court may have played a part in van der Zandschulp’s late collapse. It was only 26 degrees but there is no shade out on this arena and the humidity was punishing. Draper’s fancy fuschia kit was clinging to him as stickily as if he had just jumped into a swimming pool.
Here was another bonus for Draper, a man who had struggled with his fitness in previous seasons. He held firm in difficult conditions and finished the match with a clean forehand winner to complete his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Draper’s next opponent will be Tomas Machac, the Czech player who has improved his ranking considerably this year and came in as the world No39. British tennis fans may remember Machac as the man who Andy Murray faced in that Miami epic earlier in the season – the one that Murray ended by tearing his ankle ligaments.
Follow the latest reaction below…
On Monday, Draper will Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic. He is a very dangerous player. He achieved a career-high No 33 in June 2024, after defeating Novak Djokovic in Geneva.
At the Paris Olympics, he won gold in the mixed doubles final with Katerina Siniakova.
This is why I put all the hard work in. to play in front of you guys on the biggest stage. I’m really happy and grateful. We keep wanting more.
Playing these five-set matches is so hard, honestly, so every little moment we get to rest and recover for the next round is really important.
I thought I played a solid match today, it was a little bit scrappy, a little bit up and down but I got through in the end.
Last year I had a tough year with injuries, and this year I’ve been able to stay on court and compete all the time on the tour against the best players in the world.
“First week DONE AND DUSTED!” 🤝Jack Draper breezes through to the last 16 in scintillating fashion 🤩 pic.twitter.com/oBDUiYbSzN
Van de Zandschulp forehand into the net, 30-15. Tentative point by Draper as he closes in on victory and Van de Zandschulp hits a forehand winner, 30-40.
It quickly disappears after a Draper ace. Forehand approach by Draper, he sneaks into the net and finishes clinically with a volley winner, match point.
Draper forehand winner. GAME SET MATCH DRAPER!!!
 
Van de Zandschulp’s serve has deserted him. Back-to-back double faults. He stretches out his leg which suggests he is struggling to jump into his service action.
A third double fault by Van de Zandschulp gives Draper three break points. Van de Zandschulp dumps an exhausted forehand into the net and Draper breaks.
The Briton will serve for a place in the fourth round next.
13/18 first serves in play for Draper as he moves to 30-15 with an ace. Well executed serve and volley winner by Draper, 40-15. And he consolidates the break when Van de Zandschulp’s wild forehand goes wide.
Draper will want to wrap this up quickly now.
Wild backhand by Van de Zandschulp goes and makes it 15-30. Irritation for Draper who pushes a forehand long, 30-30.
Double fault Van de Zandschulp, his fourth of the match and it is break point Draper. Oh wow. A shocker for Van de Zandschulp as he hits another double fault and gifts the break to Draper.
Credit to Draper, who has faced much pressure on his serve but kept his nerve throughout and continues to go about his business efficiently.
It is as though Van de Zandschulp has said to himself at the end of the second set: ‘If I’m going to lose, I might as well do it by blasting the fluff off the tennis ball’.
Big ball striking from the Dutchman allows him to hold to 15. Draper needs to be wary here.
All of a sudden Van de Zandschulp has come alive, is exuding positive energy and earns himself two break points. He goes for too much with a forehand on the first. Then Draper finds the T with a 121mph ace. Timely!
Deep return by Van de Zandschulp and Draper’s reactive forehand goes long. Another break point comes and goes for Van de Zandschulp after Draper’s 11th ace of the match.
And Draper survives again to hold and level the set. The lack of service breaks must be frustrating the Dutchman.
This is a must win set for Van de Zandschulp if he has any aspirations of winning this match and he starts with a service hold to 30.
15th forehand unforced error by Van de Zandschulp makes it 30-15. He nets a backhand return to give Draper two set point.
Draper double faults on the first. But makes no mistake on the second, hitting a swinging wide ace to claim the game and set.
“Comes up with one of his very best!” 🤩Draper takes a commanding two set lead against van de Zandschulp 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DyacWGsDam
What a shot from Draper as he drills a forehand down the line which is too hot for Van de Zandschulp, 15-30. Draper forehand winner down the line, two set points.
Van de Zandschulp saves the first with an ace. Then the second when Draper nets a backhand, deuce.
Back-to-back unreturned first serves and Van de Zandschulp holds. Draper to serve for a two-set lead next.
The sun has come out and it feels like Van de Zandschulp is struggling physically at the moment. The errors are beginning to flow from his racket as Draper holds comfortably.
Ambitious forehand down the line by Van de Zandschulp goes wide, 15-30. He then nets a tired looking forehand, two break points.
Van de Zandschulp double fault. Wow. That was a shocker. Draper won’t care because he now leads by a set and a break.
Easier service game for Draper as he eases to 40-0. But Van de Zandschulp responds and makes the game 40-30 with an overhead smash winner.
Draper escapes though when Van de Zandschulp nets a backhand return. Cagey stuff in set two. Who will blink first?
Draper guesses right and guides a cross court backhand past Van de Zandschulp for a winner, 0-15.
Clear to see how hard Van de Zandschulp is working out there with the sweat dripping from his baseball cap. Another crunching forehand winner by Van de Zandschulp and he holds.
Really nice feel on a drop shot by Draper, Van de Zandschulp gets there but diverts the ball wide, 30-15. Second double fault of the match by Draper, 30-all.
Crunching forehand down the line from Van de Zandschulp gives him a break point. Another Draper drop shot, Van de Zandschulp gets there, Draper hits a backhand down the line that Van de Zandschulp volleys back but the ball sits up nicely for Draper to hit a forehand winner, deuce. 
Van de Zandschulp backhand mis-hit and Draper survives another tough game.
Love hold for Van de Zandschulp as the second set continues to be dominated by the servers.
Big serving from Draper but he finishes with a rare serve and volley play to hold to love. His confidence is growing.
Haven’t seen the fireworks from Van de Zandschulp that we saw against Alcaraz but he holds here to 15 to make a positive start.
A rocket of a forehand by Draper flies away for a winner, 30-0. Van de Zandschulp responds with one of his own but Draper gets two set points with an unreturned first serve.
Van de Zandschulp pegs Draper back to deuce after working the Briton from side to side and drawing the error. Draper ace brings up a third set point. Draper dumps a forehand into the net, deuce. Then goes long with a forehand to give Van de Zandschulp a break point.
126mph ace down the T, Draper’s seventh of the match. Back to deuce. Another Draper set point after a Van de Zandschulp’s return into the net. Saved by Van de Zandschulp with overhead smash winner.
Draper is being made to work very hard for this game. Van de Zandschulp backhand into the net, set point No 5 for Draper. 
And this time he does wrap it up when Van de Zandschulp’s return is long.
“A really strong set of tennis from Jack Draper!” 💪Draper clinches the first set after FIVE set points! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HUmWp2JUvf
Back comes Draper! Two forehand winners to start the game. A Van de Zandschulp forehand error gives him three break points.
Van de Zandschulp forehand into the net and Draper breaks straight back.
Van de Zandschulp finds himself well into another Draper service game when the Briton gets an attempted drop shot all wrong, 15-30. And he earns a break point at 30-40 after an overhead smash winner. Third game in a row that Draper has faced a break point.
Draper drop shot, Van de Zandschulp gets there and slices an angled backhand past him for a winner.
Van de Zandschulp breaks and it had been coming.
Rally of the match so far. Draper drop shot, Van de Zandschulp replies with one of his own, Draper lobs him but Van de Zandschulp stretches and places a backhand volley winner into the open court, 30-0. Great speed and movement for a big man!
Van de Zandschulp finds the sideline with an inside out forehand winner, 40-15. And holds with Draper nets a backhand return.
127mph ace by Draper down the T, 15-15. Deep Van de Zandschulp return rushes Draper, who nets. Break point Van de Zandschulp.
Timely inside-out forehand winner by Draper makes it deuce. And the Briton comes through another service game to maintain his lead.
Relief for Van de Zandschulp as he gets on the board with a service hold to 15. Fairly understated reaction from the Dutchman as he walks to his towel.
Van de Zandschulp takes a forehand early and finds the sideline for a winner, 30-all. Draper forehand wide, break point Van de Zandschulp.
Van de Zandschulp goes on the attack but goes for too much and his forehand is wide, deuce. Misjudgement by Draper as he opts not to play Van de Zandschulp’s forehand which lands on the baseline, break point.
Saved again by Draper after he makes the right call to leave a Van de Zandschulp forehand, which sails long.
Draper forehand winner to hold to continue his excellent start.
Will be interesting to see how Draper handles the nerves of the occasion given the opportunity that has opened up in his section of the draw. He is the favourite to win this match but Van de Zandschulp is a dangerous opponent.
Van de Zandschulp dumps a forehand into the net, 15-30. Draper pushes Van de Zandschulp wide and the Dutchman’s forehand down the line just misses the baseline. Two break points.
Van de Zandschulp saves the first with a big serve. Draper mis-hits a forehand but it hands on the baseline and causes Van de Zandschulp huge problems. Draper seizes on the short ball with a drop shot, Van de Zandschulp gets there but Draper finishes the point with a volley winner.
Draper breaks.
Expecting this to be a battle of serves with at least one tiebreak. Draper starts the match with an emphatic ace. First illustration of Van de Zandschulp’s wingspan as he stretches to his right and places a forehand winner down the line, 30-15.
Back-to-back unforced errors by Van de Zandschulp and Draper makes an ideal start.
It is showtime on Grandstand as Draper and Van de Zandschulp make low-key entrances. 
Conditions are perfect, low humidity and little wind. Van de Zandschulp won the toss and elects to receive serve first.
Play to start very soon!
Botic van de Zandschulp just knocked Carlos Alcaraz out of the US Open! pic.twitter.com/QK3ZrkoPgx
Within 24 hours, all three men’s singles Olympic medallists have been knocked out of the US Open:

Emphatic 👊Last year’s semifinalist @karomuchova7 powers past Potapova 6-4, 6-2 to seal her place in the 4th round at the #USOpen! pic.twitter.com/dKL1hTX6K8
Hello and welcome to coverage from the US Open as Jack Draper bids to reach the fourth round in New York.
It was widely expected that Draper would be playing Carlos Alcaraz. However, those hopes were scuppered when Alcaraz was beaten in shocking fashion by today’s opponent Botic van de Zandschulp.
It means the draw has opened up significantly for Draper, who should have aspirations of a deep run at Flushing Meadows and the Briton says he intends to go on the attack.
He said: “I took a real look at myself. I said, ‘I need to be more aggressive in certain moments’.
“I think by losing the matches I did, especially there was a period where I lost three or four 7-6s on the trot against good players, I really felt like these guys aren’t going to let me win the match.
“I need to do it myself, and I need to play aggressively. I think it’s a weird one. I’ve had coaches in the past tell me, ‘Oh, you need to be this big-hitting player and serve and volley and one-strike tennis’. That isn’t the way for me.
“The one thing about me being tall that’s different from a lot of other tall players is that I can scrap, I can move, I can defensively be really good when I need to be.
“I think it’s amazing to have that quality because then I’ve got the foundation of doing that, and now I can build the rest of my game around that.”
Draper enjoys playing at Flushing Meadows having made it to the fourth round last year and says the conditions suit his game.
“I love playing here for sure,” he said. “I think the courts really suit my game, especially being a lefty.
“I think definitely off the serve it takes the ball with the slice. If someone hits a slice serve, it really moves off the court, so that’s definitely something that I’ve always found.
“I think it helps, my leftiness (sic). I can use my skills, but also my power as well. I can hit through players as well.
“I’ve always felt really comfortable here, and obviously it’s nice to play with lots of energy from the crowd and all these types of things. I always love coming here.”