Frances Tiafoe lost his title at the 2024 Stuttgart Open to Jack Draper.
Draper, who grew up in Great Britain with plenty of grass courts, is a natural on this surface. His comfort and movement on grass are exceptional.
This week, Draper has been playing incredibly well. He faced Tiafoe, who hasn’t been in top form this year despite being good on grass .
Tiafoe started strong in their quarter-final match at the ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart. He won the first set 7-5 with a late break against Draper, who was solid but not flawless. However, Draper’s game took a dramatic turn after that initial set.
Match Highlights:
Draper dominated the second set by hitting 83% of his first serves, most of which were unreturnable. Fans might think it’s surprising how quickly he turned things around. He also fired 11 aces and only dropped three points on his serve to win the set 6-4.
The final set was intense as both players held their serves tightly. Tiafoe managed to stay focused and avoided too much pressure except for one break point. Yet Draper remained untouchable during his service games despite losing more points than before.
The match concluded with a tie-break where Tiafoe faltered badly, losing it 1-7. Draper clinched the victory with scores of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1), serving an impressive total of 31 aces throughout the match.
Next up for Draper is Brandon Nakashima, who advanced to the semi-finals after Jan-Lennard Struff withdrew from the competition.
What do you think about this unexpected turn?
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