Jack Draper will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Italian Open quarter-finals after coming from behind to beat Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Rome.
The British No1 was slow to get into his rhythm in the first set, which he lost handily, but came back with gritty wins in the remaining pair as he improved on an already impressive clay season.
Draper is chasing a second career title after winning Indian Wells earlier this year, also looking for redemption on dirt after falling short in the Madrid Open final, and took one step closer to another final outing with a hard-fought win over Moutet, who threatened to pull off a second upset of his Italian Open campaign.
The Frenchman downed Holger Rune, ranked 72 places higher, in a near four-hour match on Sunday, but initially showed no signs of fatigue as he stormed to an early lead, breaking Draper’s second service game. Moutet was characteristically wily, keeping his opponent guessing as he sprayed shots around the court.
Two breaks of service did for Draper before he dragged himself back into contention in the second.
As the match dragged on, heavy legs began to take a toll. The mal effects of Moutet’s weekend marathon match began to catch up with him as Draper also faded, prompting a stark increase in sloppy errors from both.
After receiving treatment for a cramping hamstring with the third set tied at three games apiece, Moutet finally cracked. Draper managed one last break to take the score to 5-3, converting the win on serve.
“I was a bit bamboozled at the start,” Draper said after the fact, admitting that Moutet’s tricky approach to the match left his head spinning. “I felt like I was on a string, I didn’t know what I was doing.
“I completely lost my way and had a word with myself after the first set. I needed to really knuckle down and focus.
“I knew I just had to stay there every point and give myself the best opportunity to compete. To come through that one was amazing.”
Draper will face Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the next round of the competition.
