In a moment of high-stakes intuition, British number one Jack Draper made a daring mid-match decision that proved to be the turning point in his hard-fought victory over Alexei Popyrin at the Queen’s Club Championships.
The 23-year-old, who had battled back from a set down, clinched a tense third-set tie-break to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Draper found himself trailing in the tie-break after Popyrin secured the first mini-break, but levelled the score at 5-5.
It was then that Draper reached into his bag and opted for a racquet strung at a higher tension, a strategic gamble rarely seen in such pressure-filled moments.
“I had one racquet in my bag which was a bit of a higher tension than the others,” Draper explained after the match.
“There had been quite a lot of points during the match where the ball just flew off my racquet a little bit.
What happened next showcased exactly why Draper is now ranked inside the world’s top 10.
With the match on a knife-edge, he produced a stunning backhand winner down the line to take the lead, then followed it up with a thunderous ace to seal a dramatic 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory.
“I played two pretty good points,” he said with a smile. “I said to my coach after the match, let’s go with that tension from now on!”
The win sets Draper up for a quarter-final clash against American Brandon Nakashima, who advanced earlier in the day with a straight-sets win over former British number one Dan Evans, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).
Draper’s composed yet courageous performance and his willingness to embrace change at a crucial juncture, could signal that he’s not only ready for the Queen’s title but for even greater success this season.
