Draper survives circus, heat to defeat Bublik and make ATP Adelaide final

Jack Draper won against Kazakh Alexander Bublik, the No 8 seed, 7-6 (2), 6-4 to move into the final of the Adelaide Open at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre on Friday night.

In a match that was played in near 35-degree heat, Draper showed impressive resolve to see off a tricky Bublik in straight sets. At times both men were struggling physically, with this clash becoming a war of attrition across long rallies.

At other times, the circus came out, and Bublik did everything he could to entice Draper into a UTS match. Ultimately, the Brit moves through to his second career ATP final, and has now won 13 of his past 15 matches on Tour.

“Very proud of myself,” a weary Draper exclaimed after the grueling encounter. “It was a tough match today against a guy who is very unpredictable, let’s put it that way.”

Bizarre first set sees breaks galore

In a match featuring Draper and Bublik, two of the better servers on the ATP Tour, you would expect a few sets to go to tiebreakers.

That’s exactly what happened in the first set, but not for a lack of service breaks. Across the opening five games, there were four breaks of serve, with both players struggling to adapt to the heat and angle of the sun on the court.

Once the frenzy of breaks had been quelled, the set continued on serve to 6-6, with a shootout to determine who’d take a set lead. It was Draper who well and truly stepped up to the plate in the first set tiebreak, playing brilliant tennis to snatch the breaker 7-2 and claim the set.

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Madness ensues in second set before cool Draper closes

If four breaks of serve in five games wasn’t crazy enough, what unfolded in the second set between Draper and Bublik was about to blow that out of the water.

After trading service holds, Bublik decided to mix things up in the third game. The Kazakh received an easy mid-court shot from Draper, and instead of dispatching it for a winner, he opted to embrace his UTS-style entertainment mode, hitting the ball behind his back and between his legs.

The shot was actually a handy lob over Draper’s head, which he had to hit a tweener to return. Several volleys later, and much to his opponent’s frustration, Bublik won the point.

The world No 31 was far from done, however. Next, he slid through two separate underarm serves to catch Draper off guard. The 22-year-old was alert to the second, and decided to join Bublik in his clowning around, returning it with a high backspin shot right on the net.

Of course, Bublik opted to flip his racquet around and finish off the rally with his handle. Which he did, hitting a winner.

Draper on fire, maiden title awaits

Tom-foolery aside, Draper now has an opportunity to claim his first ATP Tour-level title on Saturday. The Brit will play No 7 seed Jiri Lehecka, with whom Draper is familiar.

“First time I played him was when I was 13 in the Czech Republic, and I remember I thought he was going to be a good player,” said Draper about his upcoming clash against Lehecka. “It’s weird how a few years down the line we’re playing in an ATP Final, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

With the Australian Open looming and Draper playing some of the best tennis of his life, and injury-free for the first time in a long time, a title for the 22-year-old would be a significant confidence boost.

“It would mean a lot to me,” Draper confessed. “I came here and made the semi-final, gone one further this year. I’m really hoping I can get across the line tomorrow, the guy I’m playing is a really talented player, so I’ll need all the support I can get.”

Jack Draper defeated Argentinian Sebastian Baez, the No 5 seed (6-1, 6-3), Serb Miomir Kecmanovic (5-7, 7-6 (9), 7-6 (7)) and American Tommy Paul, the top seed (6-1, 6-4) ahead of his victory.

In the previous rounds of the Adelaide tournament, Bublik, ranked No 31, beat Australian lucky loser James McCabe (6-2, 6-3), Daniel Evans (4-6, 6-2, 6-1) and Italian Lorenzo Musetti, the No 4 seed (6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5).

Adelaide ATP 250, other semi-final result (Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, hard, USD 661.585):

• Jiri Lehecka beat Sebastian Korda (3): 6-2, 6-1