Paris Masters: Focused De Minaur powers past frustrated Draper, sets quarterfinals

Alex De Minaur clinched a hard-fought battle against Jack Draper to secure his spot in the Paris Masters quarterfinals with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory. The Australian kept his composure during difficult moments and remained the more consistent player throughout the match.

On the other hand, the 22-year-old Draper displayed moments of brilliant play but couldn’t maintain it consistently. Draper struggled with his first serve, an area that cost him dearly against a player like De Minaur, and at times, he visibly displayed frustration with his game.

In the first set, both players had first-serve percentages below 50%, though Draper held the edge in effectiveness. The first break went to the Brit in the sixth game, and he then extended his lead to 5-2 after winning 11 consecutive service points.

However, De Minaur didn’t give up. He held his serve without much trouble and capitalized on his first break opportunity to level at 5-5. Just when it seemed a tiebreak was likely, Draper found his forehand and broke De Minaur’s serve to take the set 7-5. Both players tallied over 15 unforced errors in the set.

The second set started well for De Minaur, who reduced his unforced errors to just four compared to Draper's 16. A break in the third game and a 74% serve effectiveness made it nearly impossible for Draper to recover. Draper’s shaky service game led to a second break for the Aussie, who won the set 6-2 to even the match.

De Minaur seized an early break in the third set, aided by a couple of Draper’s unforced errors. The 22-year-old Brit’s frustration was evident as he smashed his racket on the court, earning a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Australian seemed to be in control, but Draper fought back, winning long rallies and breaking back to level at 2-2. Yet, De Minaur quickly reclaimed the break without dropping a point and held on to his lead. In the ninth game, De Minaur secured another break and sealed a hard-earned 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory. His next opponent will be the winner of the upcoming match between Holger Rune (No. 13) and local lucky loser Arthur Cazaux (No. 85).