Jack Draper’s Streak Halted in Paris Masters Third Round

Jack Draper's aspirations for a spot in the season-ending ATP Finals have been dashed following his defeat in the third round of the Paris Masters, ending his seven-match winning streak. The British number one, who recently secured the most significant title of his career in Vienna, lost to Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

This loss eliminated any possibility of the 22-year-old Draper finishing among the top eight players on the ATP Tour this season. His impressive breakout season has now concluded, and he will begin focusing on his plans for 2025.

Reflecting on his achievements this year, Draper celebrated several milestones, including:

- Winning his first ATP Tour title in June at a 250 event in Stuttgart.

- Reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final in September at the US Open.

- Breaking into the top 20 of the ATP world rankings following his performance in New York.

- Becoming only the fourth British man since 2009 to win an ATP 500 title with his victory in Vienna.

Despite the defeat, Draper will reach a career-high ranking of 14th in the world after winning two matches at the Paris indoor tournament. His recent success included impressive victories over Czech player Jiri Lehecka and American fifth seed Taylor Fritz.

However, Draper's exertions in the previous week seemed to affect his performance against De Minaur, a player he had previously defeated en route to the US Open semi-finals. On that occasion, De Minaur had struggled due to physical limitations.

In Paris, De Minaur showcased his full energy, which presented challenges for Draper, who appeared fatigued as the match progressed. The first set was closely contested, with Draper managing to break De Minaur's serve twice to take the lead. However, De Minaur improved his groundstrokes, allowing him to extend rallies and capitalize on Draper's tiredness, resulting in a one-sided second set.

Draper demonstrated his frustration by breaking his racquet after falling behind in the decider. Although he managed to equalize at 2-2, De Minaur maintained a high level of play, winning four of the final five games to keep alive his own hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.

In other news from the Paris Masters, Spanish world number two Carlos Alcaraz also exited the tournament, losing to Frenchman Ugo Humbert in a deciding set with scores of 6-1, 3-6, 7-5, marking a significant victory for the home favorite.