Jack Draper has ended Karen Khachanov’s eight-match winning streak to claim his first ATP 500 title in Vienna on Sunday.
Draper, who was seeded seventh in the draw, rallied to a 6-4, 7-5, win over Khachanov. A player who had beaten him in two out of their previous three Tour-level meetings. The Brit hit a total of 32 winners and won 80% of his first service points to become the first player to win Vienna on their debut since compatriot Andy Murray did so in 2014.
“I’ve loved being here, Vienna is an incredible tournament.” Said Draper.
“So many amazing players in this draw and to win my first 500….I’m incredibly happy.
“I’m so proud of myself and my team and all the work we put in.
“I’m going to enjoy it.”
The 23-year-old got off to a solid start by breaking Khachanov in the third game which handed him enough of a margin to close the opening set out. Draper was then cruising towards the title after storming to a 4-0 lead in the second frame in less than 20 minutes before a sudden resurgence from Khachanov saw him battle back to draw level. The momentum change continued as the Russian held to love to move head 5-4.
Despite the blip, Draper weathered the storm two games later after a substandard volley from Khachanov set him up to hit a winning passing shot to break for a chance to serve out the match. Recovering from a 15-40 deficit, he worked his way to match point with a backhand volley at the net. Draper then sealed victory with the help of a Khachanov lob that landed out.
“I was playing so good and then the momentum shifted a little bit,” Draper said about the end of his match.
“I didn’t feel like I was too nervous or too tight. I just missed a few balls here and there, maybe a couple of wrong decisions.
“Karen started swinging. He started picking up his level. That’s a testament to how good he is. He’s a fighter. Obviouslyon great form.
“It got really, really tight there for a minute but I stayed solid. I stayed mentally in a good frame and luckily I was able tocome through when it mattered.”
The triumph comes during what has been a breakthrough season for Draper, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open. He also won his maiden ATP 250 tournament in June at the Stuttgart Open and reached the last eight of the Cincinnati Masters.
Draper is the fourth British man to win an ATP 500 event since the category was introduced in 2009 after Andy Murray, Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie. He will rise to a career-high of No.15 in the PIF ATP rankings on Monday.
