Draper takes out home hope Musetti in Milan to set semi-final with Nakashima at Next Gen ATP Finals

Jack Draper seized a grip on the last semi-final spot at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, rifling past home hope Lorenzo Musetti in decisive fashion, 4-1, 4-0, 4-3(3), to book a last four clash with undefeated American Brandon Nakashima on Friday.

Draper, who lost to Dominic Stricker in three consecutive tiebreaks in his first match, defeated Chun-Hsin Tseng yesterday and completed his qualification with a dominant performance on Thursday.

“Yesterday was a bit better than my first match and then today I really hit some form,” Draper said. “I played well, served great.”

It was a tough day for Musetti, who appeared to be struggling with his body a bit. He never found a way into the match.

“Lorenzo is a great player,” Draper said. “He may have been a bit tired after yesterday’s long match, but I’m glad with the way I played today, I played really well.” 

Draper, who has a achieved a new career-high ranking 22 times this season (currently 41), didn’t break into the top-200 until this February. These days he is enjoying playing in bigger stadiums with energetic crowds – whether they are for him or against him.

“I love crowds, if they’re with me or if they’re not,” he said. “This is what I wanted to do since I was younger. I wanted to entertain people. And this sort of atmosphere is why I train every day.”

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