If anything, Draper has been even more impressive. He beat two higher-ranked home-country favorites in Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, then knocked off No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in three topsy-turvy sets in the semifinals. When Alcaraz tore through the second set and brought the crowd to its feet, Draper’s moment seemed to have passed. But to the surprise of most, he salvaged it by retaking control and breaking Alcaraz twice in the third set.
“He deserves to be Top 10,” Alcaraz said of Draper afterward. “He deserves to play a final in the Masters 1000. I’m happy about him because I didn’t doubt about his level, about himself. He’s ready to stay there for a long time. He’s ready to play for the big events, for the big tournaments.”
Rune and Draper have met once, in Cincinnati last summer, and Rune won 6-4, 6-2. The rallies were competitive, but Rune was always a step or a shot ahead. As he concedes now, though, that was a speedier hard court, and Draper is a better player today.
“It was very different conditions than here,” Rune says. “Much faster surface. Yeah, it was a good match for me. Again, he’s gained a lot of confidence. He’s been improving. He’s a lefty. Great serve. I think he’s been serving well this tournament. He’s gonna be excited.”
