Great Britain's Jack Draper moved one step closer to a maiden ATP Tour title with an exceptional beating of Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International.
The world number 62 displayed tremendous accuracy throughout the 80-minute battle to emerge triumphant 6-1 6-4 against the top seed, one year on from overcoming Paul in the 2023 Adelaide International 2 in straight sets.
"I played here in Adelaide last year and made the semi-finals, so I'm really happy to be back and hopefully I can go further this week. He plays a really fast game, I knew that I had to start well, I came out strong and the second set was a bit of a battle. I stayed strong and I was able to get it in the end," Draper said on the court.
"Coming out here was a real change but I've been here for two weeks now, it really helps to prepare you for the Australian Open. There's nothing better than just getting matches. It's nice to come and feel the conditions before a really big tournament next week.
"I'm proud of all the work I've put in. Last year I wasn't in this kind of shape, I was struggling to compete in these kind of matches, but I've come back a better player."
After sinking Paul in Adelaide 12 months ago, Draper's 2023 season was hampered by injuries, but the British number four showed no signs of physical weakness in Thursday's quarter-final as he roared into a 4-0 lead.
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An off-colour Paul would belatedly get on the board before being broken for a third time in the first set, but the top seed came out fighting after the restart, but he crucially wasted a chance to break Draper in the fifth game of the second set.
The Briton let two chances of his own go begging in the sixth game, but after a long groundstroke from Paul gifted Draper his first match point, the 22-year-old closed the contest with a sensational forehand beyond the American's futile reach.
Draper's reward will be a semi-final showdown with Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, and the winner of that contest will go on to meet either Sebastian Korda or Jiri Lehecka in the showpiece match.
Over at the ASB Classic, British number one Cameron Norrie was due to take on Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo in the quarter-finals, but he was forced to pull out of the tournament with a wrist injury.
It is currently unclear how severe Norrie's concern is, but he is set to undergo imminent scans amid fears over his participation at the Australian Open, where he has drawn Juan Pablo Varillas in the first round.
Wrist and ankle injuries bedevilled British number one Emma Raducanu last year, and the former US Open champion recently withdrew from a couple of exhibition matches ahead of her Australian Open first-round clash with the USA's Shelby Rogers.
Ben Knapton
