Classy Draper ‘so proud’ to win his biggest title

Jack Draper won the biggest title of his career at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna as the British number one’s breakout season reached even greater heights.

Draper produced an outstanding level to beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-5 in the final of the ATP 500 event.

The 22-year-old left-hander, who reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open last month, will rise to a career-high ranking of 15th in the world on Monday.

“To win this title feels incredible. I’m so proud of myself and my team – the hard work is for moments like this,” said Draper.

The victory was not all plain sailing, however.

Draper watched a 4-0 advantage disappear in the second set as 24th-ranked Khachanov recovered to lead 5-4, but the Briton showed resilience to break again for 6-5 and earn the chance to serve out the victory.

He had to see off two break points in the 12th game, showing his joy and relief by falling to his back on the court when Khachanov put a lob wide on championship point.

It is the second tour-level title of Draper’s career, having won an ATP 250 in Stuttgart earlier this season.

This time last year, Draper sat just inside the top 100 as his comeback from a shoulder injury continued.

Staying fit and becoming more robust has been the key to Draper’s surge, allowing his talent to flourish.

How ‘PlayStation’ start was key for Draper

Draper has long been seen as the future of British men’s tennis, and now he is very much the player setting the standard.

Improvements this year have resulted in him becoming only the fourth player from the nation since 2009 – after Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans – to win an ATP 500 title.

Taking time away from his opponents with a high first-serve percentage has been a feature of Draper’s run in the Austrian capital.

This weapon continued to be effective in a dominant first set against Khachanov.

Seventh seed Draper took the initiative early with a break of serve in the third game, continually asking questions with his consistent returning and drawing Khachanov into a series of mistakes from the baseline.

His confidence was clear as he secured the opening set having won 18 of his 19 first-serve points.

“I felt I was playing against PlayStation at the beginning – I had no chance,” said Khachanov.