By Tony Fairbairn at Wimbledon
- Jack Draper def Zizou Bergs [WC] 6-4 6-4 7-6(4)
- Draper v Alex De Minaur [19] | H2H: First meeting
LONDON, ENGLAND – Jack Draper won his maiden Wimbledon match by defeating wildcard Zizou Bergs in straight sets and now faces Alex De Minaur in the second round.
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Jack Draper def Zizou Bergs [WC] 6-4 6-4 7-6(4)
Jack Draper won his first match at Wimbledon after he defeated Ilkley champion Zizou Bergs in straight sets. Both players displayed their power and big serve early on in what was a highly anticipated opening round match. Bergs has impressed people with his agility, big serve and solid baseline game and the Belgian brought his game style to Draper early on.
However the Brit was able to neutralise most of the rallies with his own aggression and great defensive skillset. After working hard to fend off Bergs’ aggression in the sixth game, Draper pounced in the next game forcing the errors from the Belgian’s forehand with whipped power strikes. Draper found confidence on his serve as he clinched the opening set comfortably in 45 minutes.
The second set saw both players settle into the tempo of the match much faster as Bergs was much more aggressive with his tactics. Draper also found his aggression at the start of the second set as he produced a couple of love holds. The high level of consistency couldn’t hold up for all of the second set as both players were playing at the peak of their powers.
In the end it was Bergs who blinked first as Draper raised his level with some insane defensive shots and more aggression on the forehand side. A misjudgement on the forehand side from Bergs sealed an impressive break from the Brit in the ninth game and he served out the second set comfortably for a two sets to love lead.
Draper continued the momentum into the third set as he broke in the opening game where it looked like the Brit was going to cruise through from there. However that’s when Bergs upped his level and found form on return as he found deeper and more precise returns. As Draper failed to find a consistent amount of first serves, Bergs took advantage and broke back in the sixth game for 3-3.
The momentum was with Bergs towards the end of the set and the Belgian’s aggressive play earned him three set points in the twelfth game. However Draper displayed his confidence in important moments and the Brit produced big patterns of play to force a third set tiebreak. In the end Draper’s confidence in big points helped secure the tiebreak 7-4 as he secured his first win at Wimbledon. After the match Draper was glad to earn his first main draw win at a grand slam:
“Glad with the way I came through the match. Obviously this is my first sort of Grand Slam on merit, main-draw win. I’m obviously very happy. Yeah, these are all good new experiences for me and glad to get the win today.”
Jack Draper v Alex De Minaur [19] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jack Draper v Alex De Minaur [19] | H2H: First meeting |
| Wimbledon | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £78,000 |
| Third on Court No. 1, not before 4:30pm BST | BBC Sport |
Draper will now face 19th seed Alex De Minaur in the second round, who like Draper, reached the semi-finals in Eastbourne last week.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Jack Draper (WR 94) | Alex De Minaur (WR 27) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R1 (2021) | R3 (2018) |
| 1st Serve % | 57.8 | 60.6 |
| Service Games Won % | 87.2 | 76.5 |
| Break Points Saved % | 73.3 | 59.7 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 51.2 | 52.4 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.8 | 43.1 |
Draper is more dominant on his service games but will have to be wary of De Minaur’s potent break point conversion rate.
Playing Styles and Prediction
De Minaur has had a decent season given the last few seasons where injury and COVID have prevented him from playing a full season. However the Australian would like to make deeper runs at tournaments and has now been presented with an opportunity to do that at SW19, can he take the opportunity and finally meet his potential?
This will be a true definition of a cat and mouse match with Draper’s power going against De Minaur’s speed and athleticism. Both players are in form on the grass and both will see this as a massive opportunity to go deep. De Minaur will enter as slight favourite given his overall consistency and experience but this match is a winnable one for Draper and could be settled by one or two points.
Prediction: De Minaur in five sets.
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