Jack Draper has increased his chances of meeting Carlos Alcaraz in the third round of the US Open after out-of-form Katie Boulter suffered a disappointing loss to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Draper, who reached the fourth round in New York last year and enjoys playing on the American hard courts, defeated Argentina’s Diaz Acosta 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
But with Alcaraz likely waiting in the next round, he’ll have to work hard to match last year’s performance.
The Spaniard, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this year, will face Dutchman Botich van de Zanschurp in the early hours of Friday morning.
Draper was in control from the start against the world number 64, breaking in the third game of the match to get going and then rolling along from there, firing 29 winners to nearly win the match.
“I didn’t have much time on the court the other day so I wasn’t sure what to expect today, but I felt like my tennis was going well today,” Draper said. Sky Sports Tennis.
“I was a little off at the beginning. Sometimes you wake up and you’re not feeling the best, so I had to motivate myself. And I felt like my serve got me out of trouble a lot of times.”
“Hopefully I can build on this performance. This is a Grand Slam where I’ve had my best results so far so I think the conditions suit my game.”
“If we continue to grow like this, there’s no reason why we can’t do well here.”
“I was really proud of my performance at Queens,” said Draper, who upset Alcaraz in a grass match at Queens earlier this summer. “He hasn’t beaten anyone on grass in a few years, so I must have played right.”
“I would expect Carlos Alcaraz to play very differently if I were to play against him. The game unfolds very differently on a hard court.”
breakdown
Tim Henman of Sky Sports Tennis had this to say about Jack Draper:
“I was impressed with his overall level. He barely let up – his serving, playing on target, winning points on his first serve.
“If I was to be critical, I wish he’d hit his first serve a little better. It was about 50-55 percent, but watching him from the back of the court, his footwork and physicality. [stood out].
“He was willing to attack both sides and wasn’t afraid to serve and volley. It was a very impressive performance.”
Bowler suffers disappointing defeat
Boulter lost 7-5, 7-5 to the world number 74, while British interest in the women’s singles faded after Harriet Dart’s defeat to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk on Wednesday.
“Everything just sucked,” she could be heard telling her courtside team after not playing her best game.
The 21-year-old Bouzas Maneiro has already beaten Paula Badosa in Madrid this year and knocked out Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon and can now add Bowlter to that list, despite a ferocious fightback from the British number one in the second set.
“I try not to put too much pressure on myself,” Bowlter said in her post-loss press conference. “I’m trying to win Grand Slams and I can say I’m fired up for this moment, but at the same time, if I’m not so focused on winning the match and I’m so focused on the actual process of the match, I don’t put as much emphasis on the match, so I try not to put too much pressure on myself.”
The match came down to the first set and Boulter looked to be in a good position when he broke to take a 4-2 lead.
But from that point on, the Spaniard dominated the match, skillfully moving Boulter around the court to win five of the next six games to take the opener.
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Highlights from Katie Boulter’s disappointing loss to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the US Open
Boulter lost the first set in her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, but this time around, there were signs of a comeback, but it never came.
A double break from Bouzas Maneiro in the second set seemed to seal Boulter’s fate at 5-2 down, but Boulter rallied back with two breaks and held serve to tie the score at 5-5.
But things were back to normal again when Boulter made a big mistake at the net and a double fault to hand the next serve back to Bouzas Maneiro.
Her opponent served well on her second attempt, reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the second time in a row.
The British number one said after his opening-round win on Tuesday that it was time for him to start performing well at Grand Slams, but that won’t happen this year in New York.
Bowlter, who played doubles with Anna Kalinskaya on Wednesday, acknowledged that moving from grass to clay to compete in the Paris Olympics and then to hard courts in time for the U.S. Open affected her performance at Flushing Meadows.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t but I knew it,” the Leicester man, 28, said. “My mind was made up from stage one and I’m not going to change that no matter what.”
“I need to take care of my body so I won’t be competing in the Korea Open in Seoul. I’ll spend an extra week on basic training. That’s my compromise.”
breakdown
Sky Sports Tennis’ Tim Henman talks about Katie Boulter’s loss.
“In the end it was down to mistakes. This game can get too complicated, but if we can keep the ball on the island it will be a very good result.”
“Sixty points in the first set between the players ended in errors. Katie fought back from 5-2 down in the second set because she didn’t make any errors.”
“It was a disappointing performance considering Katie’s ability. I think it was a match she should have won.”
“When she looks back on this match, she’s not going to say it was a great match, but I think she can learn a lot from it. She’s a very good ball-striker, so if she keeps playing the ball, she’s going to win that match more often than not.”
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Here’s a look at a day in the life of a vaulter as he prepares for the U.S. Open
What’s on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Jasmine Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (September 9-15)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (September 9-15)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (September 16-22 – vs. Emma Raducanu)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (September 16-22)
- Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (September 25th – October 6th)
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (September 25th – October 1st)
- China Open – ATP 500 (September 26 – October 2)
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Find out all the ways you can watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA Tour
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