Great Britain’s Jack Draper is hoping to reach his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final when he takes on Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac at the US Open this evening.
The British No. 1 defeated the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 6-2 in straight sets on Saturday to reach the fourth round and equal his best ever performance at a tennis major.
Draper, who has battled against injuries this season, says he is now full fit and aiming to reach to the latter stages of the tournament at Flushing Meadows.
“I feel very different to last year,” he said, “I think I barely played any tennis in the year, struggling with injuries all the time, and then obviously came here. I feel very different now. I’m not waking up every day worried about playing five sets.”
Today’s match is scheduled to begin around 6pm with Machac triumphing in his only previous ATP Tour meeting with Draper 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 in Geneva back in May.
Follow all the action from the US Open with our live blog below:
Jack Draper vs Tomas Machac LIVE
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Jack Draper takes on Tomas Machac in the US Open fourth round
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The British No.1 due on court about 6pm BST
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Draper aiming to reach Grand Slam quarter-finals for first time
How can I watch it?
16:54 , Mike Jones
The US Open is being shown live on Sky Sports Tennis throughout the fortnight.
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Order of play – Louis Armstrong Stadium
16:48 , Mike Jones
Play begins 4pm BST (11am local time)
Jasmine Paolini [4] vs Karolina Muchova
Jack Draper [25] vs Tomas Machac
Beatriz Haddad Maia [22] vs Caroline Wozniacki
Not before 10pm BST (5pm local time)
Alex de Minaur [10] vs Jordan Thompson
When is Jack Draper vs Tomas Machac?
16:42 , Mike Jones
The round of 16 match is scheduled second at Louis Armstrong Stadium and will follow the conclusion of Jasmine Paolini vs Karolina Muchova. The clash should start at around 6pm BST.
Draper has good chance to impress
16:36 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper will be eyeing up a deep run at the US Open after he beat Botic van de Zandschulp, conqueror of Carlos Alcaraz, in the third round.
High seeds Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud have all made early exits leaving the way open for the British No.1 to reach the latter stages if he can get through today’s encounter.
Jack Draper vs Tomas Machac LIVE
16:30 , Mike Jones
Jack Draper has enjoyed a memorable year so far.
He won his first ATP title at the Stuttgart Open in June before beating Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s a few days later.
Meanwhile, his opponent, Tomas Machac, beat Belgium’s David Goffin in straight sets to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time.
Jack Draper vs Tomas Machac LIVE
15:12 , Mike Jones
Good afternoon!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the US Open tennis. Jack Draper is facing Tomas Machac in the fourth round after a dominant victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.
The British No. 1 defeated the Dutchman in straight sets last time out and is keen to advance deep into the tournament this time around.
The two men have played each other only once before with Machac winning an ATP Tour meeting with Draper 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 in Geneva back in May.
We’ll have all the build-up and action to this contest throughout the evening so stick around to see if Draper can reach the US Open quarter-finals.