“The Power” Draper edges into UTS Grand Final, defeats Ruud
It will be Jack Draper versus Holger Rune in the UTS Grand Final
Jack “The Power” Draper got the better of three quarters – all of which went to a deciding point – and beat Casper “The Ice Man” Ruud to reach the UTS Grand Final – 14-13, 12-11, 14-13.
“Wow…I think I got lucky a little bit towards the end,” admitted Draper afterwards.
He now faces Holger Rune – the man he beat in three straight quarters on Friday night – for the crown.
The Brit – who received a wild card into the event – had dropped only one quarter through the round-robin stages in London, topping Group B with a huge points average of +48.
But The Ice Man had clearly done his prep, and had Draper moving the width of the court, luring him into wild shots.
Draper: I came up with good shots
Ruud took the lead in the first quarter, winning four points on the spin to give himself an 8-5 advantage, but The Power was not to be denied, using his long levers well to turn it around and take it 14-13 – despite The Ice Man piling on the pressure in the quarter point stage, particularly with a powerful body shot.
And Ruud came out firing in the second quarter, leading 11-9 at the quarter point stage. But Draper wasn’t about to let his great record slip, and won the next three points to take it 12-11 – much to the delight of his ever-vocal coach James Trotman.
“I came up with some really good shots when I needed to,” said Draper.
And in the third quarter The Power pounced on service errors from The Ice Man – and combined that with the smartest of forehands. Ruud used his bonus card to get back in it, leading 13-11 before heading into the quarter point.
But once again The Power refused to be denied, winning the next three points to seal his place in the final.
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