Jack Draper is into the Round of 16 at Queen’s, having brushed aside Jenson Brooksby in straight sets.
It was a near-perfect return to the grass for the British number one, who will now face Aussie contender Alexei Popyrin for a chance to reach the quarter-finals.
As one of the top two seeds, there is so much expectation for the 22-year-old to perform well at Queen’s this week.
And, with Wimbledon less than two weeks away, that pressure is only set to increase.
Jack Draper reacts to Emma Raducanu’s US Open mixed doubles team
Despite this, one of the main post-match conversations that dominated the media room was the US Open.
Strangely bypassing Wimbledon, it had become an in-demand topic as just today they released their star-studded lineup for their mixed doubles, with Jack Draper involved.
He will join up with Qinwen Zheng, whilst fellow Brit Emma Raducanu has been paired with none other than Carlos Alcaraz.
Asked if an all-British pairing was ever considered, he replied: ‘Yeah, I mean, a wise person once told me you should find the best partner, and that’s what she did in Alcaraz. I don’t blame her at all for that (smiling).
‘Yeah, I think she will have a lot of fun playing with Carlos. He’s obviously the best player in the world probably right now, along with Sinner. Great at doubles, as well. Saw that with Rafa at the Olympics. She’s gone about and chose the best partner, for sure. Hopefully they do well.’
Then asked about his own partner, he spoke well about the world number four: ‘Yeah, I’ll definitely play. I think it’s a good format for the players to get prepared for the US Open, having a shot at playing with another top player. Qinwen I know from the tour. I have seen her around. Obviously a great player herself and has a really good game.
‘I think it will be fun to get out there and play with her and see how we get on. Yeah, I think it was me who messaged through IMG. She’s with IMG as well. It was nice to get that sort of together and let’s see how we get on.’
This comes after Jack Draper was compared to Andy Murray after today’s impressive victory, highlighting how well he played.
Who are the standout pairs for the US Open mixed doubles event?
Whilst Raducanu and Alcaraz will likely steal headlines for their pairing, as a couple of former US Open champions, there are plenty of other combinations that will turn heads.
Notably Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka, who are guaranteed to bring the power to New York.
Elsewhere, there’s an all-Italian match-up with Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti, whilst Daniil Medvedev will team up with fellow Russian Mirra Andreeva too.
And this just touches the surface of a wacky, hilarious and truly exciting event planned for the US Open.
