Draper to face Alcaraz after five-set victory over Vukic

Jack Draper admitted that he is surprising himself with his marathon run in the Australian Open having reached the fourth round after surviving another five-set battle to book a clash with Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Draper, 23, went the distance for the third consecutive round as he defeated the Australian Aleksandar Vukic in a deciding match tiebreak, winning 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6 (5) 7-6 (10/8) at 0055 local time [GMT 1355].

“My body doesn’t feel too great, luckily I’ve got a good physio,” Draper said on court. “But I think just mentally I’ve really competed hard, I’ve loved the atmosphere just playing in front of so many people. It’s given me a lot of energy to keep on pushing and pushing, and I’m surprising myself.”

The British No 1 has been working hard on improving the physical and mental parts of his game, although his pre-season was disrupted by a hip injury that forced Draper to cancel a training week with Alcaraz in December.

Despite his lack of build-up, Draper has now spent more than 12 hours on court in his wins over Mariano Navone, Thanasi Kokkinakis and now Vukic, with the 15th seed also managing to stay relaxed in the big moments.