Jack Draper outshines Frances Tiafoe in Boss Open quarterfinal thriller

Jack Draper defeated Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinal of the Boss Open with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 on Friday.

In the first set, Tiafoe came out on top with a score of 7-5. The American tennis star produced eight drop shots in the first set, six more than his opponent.

Tiafoe avoided longer rallies in the first set, winning 30 points in rallies lasting no more than four shots.

In the second set, Draper made a grand comeback, winning it with a score of 6-4, which levelled the contest. The 22-year-old broke Tiafoe's serve in the 10th game of the set to level the match.

In the third set, both players gave their all and the set went to the tiebreak where Draper eventually came out on top.

Draper was extremely impressive on his serve. He produced 11 aces, seven more than his opponent, and 18 winners in the second set alone, 10 more than the American tennis star.

Draper once again came out on top, largely because of his serve. He produced 11 aces, six more than his opponent.

The Sutton-born star remained focused on ground shots throughout the encounter, producing 200, 28 more than Tiafoe.

Overall, Draper produced 31 aces, 19 more than his opponent. That's not it, as he also produced 58 winners, 24 more than Tiafoe. 

It was Draper’s first defeat against the American. In the previous outing, Tiafoe defeated the Britain’s tennis star in second round of the Paris Masters in 2022 with a score of 6-3, 7-5.

Draper will face America’s Brandon Nakashima in the semifinal of the mega-event on Saturday. The 22-year-old booked his place in the last-four after being awarded a walkover against Jan-Lennard Struff.

It will be only the second meeting between the two. Their only previous meeting was in the Bergamo Challenger 04 semifinal last year where Draper who came out on top with a score of 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.