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British number one Jack Draper wants to keep being aggressive after the US Open draw opened up for him following Carlos Alcaraz’s shock exit.
Draper was set for a blockbusting Saturday night clash with Alcaraz until the Spaniard was the subject of one of the biggest shocks of all time, going down in straight sets to Botic van De Zandschulp.
It is now the world number 74 up next for Draper, with a deep run looking possible.
After some narrow defeats earlier in the year, the 22-year-old wants to be the master of his own destiny.
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.”
If Draper can win his next two matches a possible all-Britain quarter-final with Dan Evans looms.
Evans backed up his record-breaking first-round win, where he triumphed in the longest-ever US Open match, to reach the third round.
Next up is Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who Evans boasts a 3-0 winning record against.
And the 34-year-old expects De Minaur to change his tactics.
“I’ve played him a few times. I’m not sure the game style has been good for him, but it’s over five, it’s totally different match,” he said.
“I don’t think he’s beat me, so I imagine he’ll play a bit differently.
“But it’s over five, it’s long, a long stretch. He obviously goes in the favourite with his first few rounds, and then we’ll see.
“I need to recover and but I’m not, not by any stretch of imagination, worried about the match-up.
“He’s obviously the favourite for that match.”
