The two previous encounters between Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz this year ended in strikingly similar fashion. Despite the close margins in each match, Fritz's superior self-belief and maturity proved decisive in the crucial moments. He emerged victorious in both encounters, winning in three tightly contested sets. However, this is a different Draper—a special talent brimming with confidence and the conviction that he truly belongs among the elite. His exceptional form at the end of the season continued as he secured another significant win, this time edging out Fritz, the world No 6, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4 in a high-stakes battle to advance to the third round of the Paris Masters.

"I competed really well," Draper said. "My tennis wasn’t great, but that’s the [fast] conditions. I don’t think anyone is finding it easy to play. Not a lot of rallies, the court’s incredibly fast, so it’s tough to hit really good groundstrokes and be consistent. But I looked after my serve, I tried my hardest, I competed really well, and I got over the line against a top‑10 player, so I’m feeling really happy with that."

This victory marks Draper’s fourth top‑10 win of 2024, and he has now won four of his past five matches against the elite, with his only loss coming against the world No 1 Jannik Sinner at the US Open. He is also on a seven‑match winning streak after his triumph at the Vienna Open, his first career ATP 500 title, on Sunday.

Draper had to quickly adapt to the conditions in Paris after his late arrival from Vienna, a challenge compounded by the exceptionally fast courts at Bercy. These are the fastest courts this year among the Masters 1,000 events and the fastest they have been in Bercy for over a decade. From the outset, Draper made it clear he intended to dominate with his forehand, pushing himself inside the baseline. After failing to serve out the set at 5-4, he narrowly closed it out on his third set point deep in the opening tiebreak. As he continued to pressure Fritz, the second set was defined by a pivotal game at 3-2 where the American saved six break points before holding serve.

Draper then opened his service game at 3-3 with two double faults before losing the game to love. He grew increasingly frustrated towards the end of the second set, but from 0-30 down at the beginning of the third set, he regained his composure. Holding firm on his serve throughout the final set, he seized the opportunity at 5-4 to break and secure a brilliant win.

"I had to accept it, regroup, and realize it’s not good enough," he said of his missed opportunities in set two. "But I can’t change the past; I’ve just got to focus on the future and try to compete as best I can to give myself a good chance. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but he wasn’t finding it easy either, so I’m just proud of the way I kept going every point."

There will be no time for rest or reflection, as the challenges continue. Draper will next face Alex de Minaur, the ninth seed, in less than 24 hours on Thursday afternoon. He previously defeated the Australian in the US Open quarter-finals.

Earlier, Katie Boulter reached the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open with a hard-fought 7-6 (7), 6-4 win against Xiyu Wang of China.

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