MELBOURNE: Marathon man Jack Draper says Carlos Alcaraz will have a battle on his hands when they meet in the Australian Open last 16, with the Briton showing remarkable staying power to set up the clash.
The gritty 15th seed has come through his first three Melbourne matches in five sets, rallying from behind in all of them to set up a clash with the four-time Grand Slam winner.
His 3hr 58min slog to beat Aleksandar Vukic in a match that ended early Saturday morning came on the back of beating Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis in similarly tough encounters.
So far, he has spent nearly 13 hours on court, which is all the more remarkable given he pulled out of the lead-up United Cup with a hip injury.
Draper beat Alcaraz the last time they played, on grass at the Queens Club in London last year. The Spaniard won the two meetings before that.
“I need to be aggressive. I need to take my chances,” Draper said, looking ahead to the showdown.
“Against the top players you get less and less chances to win games and sets.
“I need to be brave in the way I play,” he added.
“But I’m expecting him to come out and know that I’ve played three five-setters and know that he’s got a battle on his hands, and he’s going to have to play good.”
Draper is only the seventh man in history to win their first three rounds at the Australian Open in five sets, with he said was testament to the work he has put in.
“I’m done after two sets most of the time,” admitted the Briton, who won his maiden ATP Tour title in Stuttgart last year.
“I mean, that’s just the way it is and that’s something that I’m aware of and I needed to be better at that.
“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge drive forward, the fact that mentally and physically, three five-set matches, it doesn’t happen often.
“That’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in.”
Danielle Collins said she was proud of herself and did not care what people thought after being booed in and out of the arena in losing 6-4, 6-4 to fellow American Madison Keys at the Australian Open on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Collins became the pantomime villain of Melbourne Park on Thursday when she sarcastically thanked hecklers for “paying my bills” after she defeated home hope Destanee Aiava in the second round.
She also blew kisses to the fiercely partisan crowd, cupped her ear and even pointed to her backside.
Collins smiled as she faced a smattering of boos when she walked out at Rod Laver Arena, centre court, for the third-round meeting with Keys, the 19th seed.
Cheers went up when 10th-seeded Collins made her first double fault.
At the end of the first set the chair umpire reminded fans to respect both players.
Collins required a medical timeout at 4-3 down in the second set and had heavy strapping applied to her left knee.
A half-empty stadium was mostly cheering for both players by the end, although more boos accompanied Collins out of the stadium.
The beaten 2022 finalist said afterwards: “Something I’m really proud of myself is I just have gotten to the point where I really don’t care anymore about what people who aren’t important to me think.”
She doubled down on her stance that all publicity is good publicity.
“Obviously I’m towards the end of my career. It’s wonderful that I can capitalise on these opportunities,” she said.
“I think that six different sponsorship opportunities come up this tournament alone.
“That’s a great signal for me. Obviously, like I said, every fan contributes to that.
“It’s a real blessing.”
Collins baited her detractors on Thursday by saying that the prize money she received in Melbourne would go towards a “five-star trip” with friends to the Bahamas.
Asked after losing on Saturday if she had booked the holiday, she told reporters: “I got to fit that in there for a few days. Yeah, we’ll see what happens. I’ll keep you guys updated for sure.
“I will definitely send pictures to everyone.”
Elina Svitolina completed a family fairytale day at the Australian Open on Saturday when she emulated her husband Gael Monfils in knocking out a world number four in the third round.
Ukraine’s Svitolina beat Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the women’s draw just hours after Monfils stunned Taylor Fritz on the same Margaret Court Arena in the men’s singles.The 38-year-old Frenchman Monfils was watching from Svitolina’s on-court coaching box as the couple both reached the last 16 of the first Grand Slam of the year.