Draper into quarter-finals after victory over Popyrin

When Jack Draper played at Queen's last year he was still something of an unfinished article.

- FLO CLIFFORD

Then ranked 31st in the world, he was rapidly establishing himself as a name to watch, but the 22-year-old was a rough diamond of a player.

The bare bones of the game - huge serve, vicious forehand were there; all the component parts to make it tick were not.

A year on from his last appearance at his home tournament literally only a few miles away from his home in Putney - Draper is a different prospect. If not the finished article, then considerably closer to it. And still only 23.

He has been one of the most consistent players in the world this year, winning a maiden Masters in Indian Wells, getting close to a second on his hitherto-worst surface, on clay in Madrid. The Londoner has looked undaunted on the biggest stages and has reaped the rewards of his increased endurance and fitness, honed by successive five-set slogs at the Australian Open in January, and his ability to seemingly improve week-on-week.

Now the world No 6, a couple of spots down from his peak earlier this month at No 4, Draper is in a very different position to a year ago. His rise has been stratospheric; he has spoken measuredly about taking it in his stride.

"Since I was a young guy, I have always wanted to be at the top of the game, and I knew eventually that [expectation and pressure] would come with it," he said after his first-round win.

"I feel confident, happy. I feel this is exactly where I want to be, regardless of any external noise." But it was external noise that he would in fact rely yesterday: the combined cheers and roars of 7,700 people inside a packed Andy Murray Arena, who collectively got him over the line in a hardfought three-set win over Alexei Popyrin.