By Tony Fairbairn
- Jack Draper def Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 6-3 6-3
- Draper v Felix Auger-Aliassime [6] | H2H: First Meeting
NEW YORK, USA – Jack Draper cruised past Emil Ruusuvuori in his US Open debut to set up a second round showdown with Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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Jack Draper def Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 6-3 6-3
Jack Draper is into the second round after winning on his US Open debut in straight sets against Emil Ruusuvuori. The Brit continued his form from Montreal and Winston-Salem into this match as he produced some big-hitting in the early exchanges. Ruusuvuori responded with some effective serving of his own as he only lost one point in his opening three service games with impressive consistency.
However Draper picked his spots to be aggressive and attack-minded and in the seventh game, the Brit forced Ruusuvuori into some unforced errors to break for a 4-3 lead. Ruusuvuori didn’t surrender easily though as he continued to produce some smart returning in the next game to create three break points. In the end Draper held his nerve, saved the break points and would go on to close out the first set with an ace to take it 6-4.
The second set saw the Brit’s most dominant passage of play as he continued his momentum with a break to love in the opening game. There was very little resistance from Ruusuvuori as Draper would secure the double break advantage in the seventh game with flawless power from the back of the court. Despite Ruusuvuori displaying power of his own to get one of the breaks back, Draper responded in fine fashion to break to love and seal a two sets to love lead.
A more tired-looking Draper approached the third set but the Brit still remained consistent and firm in his approach. Ruusuvuori attempted to extract errors from Draper’s game but nothing came of it as the Brit broke in the sixth game for the crucial blow. The Brit comfortably served out the match in the ninth game to seal his first ever win in New York and a place in the second round.
Jack Draper v Felix Auger-Aliassime [6] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jack Draper v Felix Auger-Aliassime [6] | H2H: First Meeting |
| US Open 2022 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $121,000 |
| Fourth on Louis Armstrong Stadium (Midnight BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Draper will now face a big test as he takes on last year’s semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Jack Draper (WR 53) | Felix Auger-Aliassime (WR 8) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | SF (2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 58.3 | 64 |
| Service Games Won % | 85.8 | 84 |
| Break Points Saved % | 71.3 | 64.4 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52 | 49.1 |
| Break Points Converted % | 41.9 | 36.2 |
Draper is by far the dominant player when playing under pressure but the Brit will have to be aware of the Canadian’s effective serving heading into this clash.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Auger-Aliassime has had another consistent season this year but will admittedly be disappointed to have not done better this US hard court season. Now the Canadian will need to produce his best tennis in order to defend the semi-final points that he won last year as he looks to take advantage of an open draw.
Draper will look to take the match to Auger-Aliassime and attack the Canadian’s second serve with aggression. Meanwhile Auger-Aliassime will look to be solid from the baseline and look to come into the net whenever he has the opportunity. This will be a good match and could go all the way but the Canadian has produced his best tennis at the Grand Slams and that could prove too much for Draper in this match.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in four sets.
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