A few days on from his unforgettable late-night escape against the oldest player inside the men’s top 100, Jack Draper found himself up against the youngest of them all. From the unparalleled defensive capabilities of the 38-year-old Gaël Monfils, Draper examined the 18-year-old João Fonseca’s nuclear forehand.
No matter the challenge or conditions, Draper continues to show his ability to adapt to all obstacles in his path. He eased into the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in his career with an utterly devastating performance, by far his best of the tournament so far, dismantling Fonseca 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Draper was joined in the second week by Cameron Norrie, who continued his impressive resurgence in Paris by outworking Jacob Fearnley 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-2. It is the first time Norrie has made the second week at Roland Garros, with his reward being a meeting with Novak Djojovic. It means there will be two British men in the fourth round of the French Open for the first time since 1963.
Since Fonseca marked his grand slam career with a stellar top-10 victory over Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open in January, the hype surrounding him has been overwhelming, with the Brazilian’s emergence reawakening one of the most passionate tennis fanbases in the world. At Roland Garros, where the legendary Gustavo Kuerten triumphed three times, the Brazilian fans were always going to be at their loudest.
“He’s an incredible young player,” said Draper. “So much to come from him. Today it was maybe a bit of inexperience. I don’t think he has played as many grand slams as myself. But he’s got an unbelievably bright future. He will be right at the top of the game. So good luck to him.”
In the aftermath of his victory on Thursday night in painfully slow night conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Draper noted that the balls were so heavy it felt like he was playing with depressurised orange balls for children. He was uncomfortable until the end. Despite the humidity, the warmer daytime conditions provided a far more optimal platform for him to show just how effective his game can be on these courts.
“My first two rounds, I played at night time,” said Draper. “Playing against Gaël the other night, I didn’t feel like I could hit the ball past him. It was so cold and I couldn’t do much. Whereas here the ball was getting up more, it was so quick, and the faster conditions definitely suit me. Either way, I will be ready for my next round.”
As he rolled through the first set, Draper’s forehand was devastating. His brutal weight of shot – the combined force of his extreme top-spin and immense ball speed – and unrelenting depth completely smothered the Brazilian, making Fonseca’s ball-striking look lightweight by comparison. Draper only continued to grow in confidence behind his forehand and by the second set he was striking it with total freedom and changing directions down the line at will. Under constant pressure from Draper’s forehand and unable to break through the Briton’s defence, Fonseca’s forehand error count piled up as he aimed closer and closer to the lines.
This was a spectacular, complete performance from an increasingly complete player: Draper also served superbly, maintaining his pressure on Fonseca’s service games by rolling through his own, and he returned with immaculate consistency and depth. As he continued to push Fonseca far behind the baseline with the force of his forehand, he peppered his opponent with a stream of well-timed drop shots. Having arrived in Paris still seeking his first victory at Roland Garros, Draper heads into the second week looking stronger than he has ever been.
Norrie, meanwhile, has continued to perform at an extremely high level since closing out a monumental first-round upset against Daniil Medvedev, the 11th seed, on Tuesday. After a straight-sets win over Federico Agustin Gomez on Thursday, he was similarly too solid for Fearnley, his countryman and fellow alumni of Texas Christian University. Norrie gradually broke Fearnley down with his consistency and discipline in three gruelling sets.
“I am happy I played a solid match,” said Norrie. “It was a great atmosphere. I went through about seven shirts in three sets. I was sweating a lot and had to work really hard for that. So, it feels good to get through.”
As the battle between Fearnley, the British No 2, and Norrie, the British No 3, unfolded, it soon became soundtracked by loud fireworks from a nearby congregation of PSG football fans before the Champions League final. The Parc des Princes, PSG’s home stadium, sits just 600 metres away from the Roland Garros tournament grounds and it hosted a Champions League viewing party for fans unable to attend the final in Munich. “I think the toughest part was managing the fireworks,” said Norrie. “That was difficult for both of us.”
While Draper will next face Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, Norrie will have to tackle Djokovic in the fourth round. Djokovic’s bid for a record 25th grand slam title gathered pace with a straight-sets win over Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
