Jack Draper‘s dream US Open run was ended in grueling fashion by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, as the Italian reached the final with a straight-sets victory in New York on Friday.
Sinner triumphed 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 over the British No. 1 in a physical contest lasting just over three hours at Flushing Meadows and will meet either Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe in Sunday’s final. .
Draper had surged through to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal without dropping a set, the first man to do so at the US Open since 2020.
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But little went right on Friday for the 22-year-old, who vomited three times in the second set as he struggled with the heat and humidity that also left his shirt soaked in sweat.
“Obviously it was extremely humid today. Hasn’t been pretty much the whole week as of yet,” he told reporters afterward. “I think it was obviously a very physical match. Obviously that’s why Jannik is No. 1 player in the world, because when you play the top players, the intensity is different. You know, it’s a step up.
“I think obviously it’s a big occasion for me. I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed and stuff, I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around. I’m definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being.
“I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough. Yeah, I didn’t have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.”
Jack Draper’s US Open run was ended by Jannik Sinner. Al Bello/Getty Images
Draper had also yet to drop his serve en route to the last four, but that record was dashed in the seventh game of the first set as Sinner broke for a 4-3 lead. Draper grabbed an immediate break back against the 2024 Australian Open champion, but momentum swung in Sinner’s direction when Draper dropped serve in the 11th game with one of six double faults he produced up in the opening set.
Draper held his serve through a marathon, four-deuce opening game in the second set but could not convert a break point chance in the second game. From then on, the contest turned into a nightmare for the 25th seed.
The Briton dropped his racket and ran to his bench to change his sweat-drenched shoes after the sixth game and he threw up twice in the eighth game, waving off the umpire’s attempts to pause the match and bring out a crew to clean the mess.
“You just feel worse and worse, because you can’t put anything in your body.” Draper said when asked about the vomiting. “When you’re playing long matches, you need to be able to drink and to eat things and to give your body the supplies it needs to keep on going.
“But obviously when you’re feeling sick and stuff like that, you can’t put anything inside your body, because it just comes straight out, and it’s the worst feeling ever. You can’t move around the court when that happens. So no, it’s a horrible feeling, and you feel more dizzy and more sick the more you are.”
Sinner looked to be in trouble after he slipped and fell in the ninth game, wincing in pain after bracing himself with his left hand in the fall.
One physio came to massage the Italian’s wrist while another came to help the ailing Draper during the changeover.
Draper requested another set of fresh shoes from his locker and battled on, vomiting for a third time in the 12th game before Sinner sprinted through the tiebreak.
After the second-longest set of the men’s tournament at 96 minutes, Draper had little more to give in the third. Despite grinding out holds in his first two service games, Sinner broke in the sixth game to finally end Draper’s resistance. He broke once more to clinch a spot in the final.
Draper had become the first British man to reach the US Open semifinals since Andy Murray won the title in 2012 after beating 10th seed Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals.
After starting the year ranked No. 61 in the world, Draper is assured of breaking into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
