Jack Draper emulates Andy Murray feat with Vienna Open triumph
Jack Draper overcame a late scare to lift the biggest title of his career at the Vienna Open – and emulate three British tennis greats.
Draper downed a resurgent Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 to win his second ATP title of 2024, though the scoreline perhaps makes the match look a little more straightforward than it panned out.
The Brit was seemingly cruising to victory at 6-4, 4-0 up, only for Khachanov to storm back and win five games in a row.
The Russian was just two points away from forcing a deciding set, though Draper rallied to win the final three games of the final.
“I was playing so good, but then the momentum shifted a little bit,” he said post-match.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel like I was too nervous or too tight. I just missed a few balls here and there, maybe a couple of wrong decisions. Karen just started swinging, started picking up his level – that’s a testament to how good he is, he’s a fighter.
“It got really tight there for a minute, but I stayed solid, I played mentally in a good frame, and luckily I was able to come through when it mattered.
“I’ve loved being here. Vienna’s an incredible tournament and to win my first ATP 500 here, it feels incredible. I’m incredibly happy.”
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Draper has now matched idol and fellow Brit Andy Murray by winning in Vienna on his tournament debut, becoming the first player to do that since the three-time major champion in 2014.
Currently ranked 18th in the world, the 22-year-old is also the lowest-ranked champion in Vienna since Lucas Pouille in 2017.
He will now move up to a career-high of 15th in the ATP Rankings, cementing his place as the British No 1 – and as one of the players to watch at the start of 2025.
British champions in Vienna
Draper is now one of for British players to lift the title in Vienna, with Murray being the most recent champion prior to this year.
The former world No 1 beat David Ferrer in three sets to win his first title a decade ago, before defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to capture the title for a second time in 2016.
Fellow former British No 1’s Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman also triumphed at the prestigious tournament.
After losing the 1997 final, Rusedski lifted the Vienna title in 1999, defeating Nicolas Kiefer in the final.
A year later Henman wrote his name into the Vienna Open history books, downing Tommy Haas to win the fifth of his 11 tour titles.
Other past Vienna champions Draper has now emulated include Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras.
