British No. 1 Jack Draper has advanced to a highly anticipated Italian Open quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz following his hard-fought victory over the unconventional French player Corentin Moutet in Rome.
Draper confessed he felt “bamboozled” initially, struggling with Moutet`s unexpected tactics in the opening set. However, he quickly regained his composure, fighting back to secure a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win on the clay courts at Foro Italico.
Although Alcaraz holds a 3-2 advantage in their head-to-head record, Draper notably defeated him in their last encounter during the Indian Wells semi-finals in March, a tournament Draper went on to win for his first Masters 1000 title.
Draper nearly won another title in Madrid last weekend, finishing as runner-up to Casper Ruud. Now, he is close to another potential victory on clay, a surface previously considered his least strong, with his quarter-final against Alcaraz scheduled for Wednesday.
During his third-round match against Vit Kopriva in Rome, Draper seemed affected by his recent demanding schedule, even angrily breaking his racket despite holding a lead. He managed to keep his calm against Moutet in a frustrating first set, where missing two break points at 1-1 allowed the Frenchman to win five consecutive games.
Moutet is known for his highly unconventional style, using sharp angles and effective drop shots alongside strong defense, which caused Draper to make numerous errors early on. Nevertheless, Draper showed determination to achieve consistent success, mirroring the top players, and he demonstrated this by battling hard at the start of the second set.
A disputed moment occurred early in the seventh game when Moutet claimed Draper didn`t reach a drop shot in time. However, after a video review, the umpire awarded the point to the British player. Draper finally broke Moutet`s serve in the subsequent game, prompting an angry reaction from the Frenchman. Although Draper couldn`t hold serve to close the set, another break secured the second set for him, forcing a deciding third set.
The Briton seemed to gain momentum, but Moutet continued to challenge him until Moutet himself began to struggle physically with cramp. Moutet, who had played a strenuous nearly four-hour match just two days prior, required a medical timeout for a left hamstring issue after the seventh game. Draper capitalized on this, closing out the victory in two hours and 20 minutes.
Draper`s Reaction: Feeling “Bamboozled”
In a post-match interview, Draper candidly described his initial struggles against Moutet`s unpredictable game. “Honestly, I was a bit bamboozled at the start,” he confessed. “I haven`t played someone like that, well, ever, I don`t think. I felt like I was on a string, like I didn`t know what I was doing.”
He explained how he refocused in the second set, “just fought for every point and found a way in the end to pick up my level. It feels good.”
Draper highlighted the difficulty of facing Moutet: “You don`t know what`s happening shot to shot. You can almost get sucked into his way of playing. I was all over the court… I`ve got a dizziness from it.” He concluded by crediting his opponent, “Credit to Corentin. He honestly played a great match. To come through that one was amazing.”
In another tough match, Carlos Alcaraz also needed three sets, overcoming Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 despite showing signs of fatigue. His upcoming quarter-final against Draper will provide valuable insight ahead of the French Open later this month.
When questioned about his energy after a demanding week, Draper stated, “I`m giving myself the best chance to be there every point. I`m in the quarter-finals now and there`s no time to be tired anymore. I`ve got to keep on pushing hard every point and I will do that.”
Sinner Reaches Quarter-Finals in Rome
Jannik Sinner, the World No. 2, successfully navigated a challenging match on his return to competition, defeating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 to also secure a spot in the quarter-finals.
Francisco Cerundolo, ranked 18th, came into the match with an impressive record of 18 clay-court wins this season and a recent semi-final appearance in Madrid. Despite this, Sinner maintained his strong form, reaching the quarter-finals without dropping a single set so far in the tournament.
Sinner commented on his performance, stating, “Today I felt that I raised my level. It was a very long day, but I need this. I`m happy to be back. I was three months out, so in every situation, I feel very fortunate to be here, very lucky.”
The Rome Masters serves as the final significant preparation event before the French Open begins on May 25th. Sinner is aiming to become the first Italian male player to win the Rome title since Adriano Panatta achieved the feat in 1976.
Expert Opinion: Draper`s Mental Fortitude Praised
Tennis pundit Miles Maclagan commented on Draper`s performance: “The winning habit in Jack Draper is strong right now. What a really good effort, what an entertaining match that was.”
He noted Moutet`s strong start but praised Draper`s resilience: “[Draper] found a way into the match, found a way around it, unsettled, wore down the brilliance from Moutet and has been able to find himself coming out on top.”
Maclagan particularly highlighted Draper`s mental strength: “Draper has been a mental rock of late, I expect that to continue.”
He added that Draper`s continued drive despite recent demanding matches is impressive: “Sometimes when you`re at that level, when you`ve been winning as much as he has, when you`re as tired as he has, sometimes a loss can come as a bit of a relief because you finally get to rest. He doesn`t! He`s got another match to come. And that makes pressing on even more impressive… He`s not going to let himself rest. You`re going to keep building the confidence. And I think that`s excellent because you want that winning habit to continue… You want the other players… to see how tough you are and to realise that when you`re up against them.”
