. Although so little separated them on each occasion, Fritz’s greater self-belief and maturity marked the difference in the most important moments. He clinched both matches in three tight sets.
This is a different Draper, however, a special talent now flowing with confidence and the belief that he truly belongs among the best. His exceptional end‑of‑season form continued as he closed out another massive win, this time edging out Fritz, the world No 6, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4 in a tension-filled battle to reach the third round of the Paris Masters.
“I competed really well,” Draper said. “My tennis wasn’t great but that’s the [fast] conditions. I don’t think anyone is finding it easy to play. Not a lot of rallies, the court’s incredibly fast so it’s tough to hit really good groundstrokes and be consistent. But I looked after my serve, I tried my hardest, I competed really well and I got over the line against a top‑10 player, so I’m feeling really happy with that.”
This victory marks Draper’s fourth top‑10 win of 2024 and he has now won four of his past five matches against the elite, losing only against the world No 1 Jannik Sinner at the US Open. He is also now on a seven‑match winning run after his triumph at the Vienna Open, his first career ATP 500 title, on Sunday.
Draper had been forced to find his feet quickly in Paris after his late arrival from Vienna, a challenge made even more difficult by the exceptionally fast courts in Bercy. They are the fastest this year among the Masters 1,000 events and the fastest the courts have been in Bercy for more than a decade.
From the very first exchanges Draper made his intentions clear as he forced himself inside the baseline, looking to dominate with his forehand. After failing to serve out …
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