Jack Draper’s aspirations of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals have come to an end following his defeat in the third round of the Paris Masters, which halted his seven-match winning streak.
The British number one, who celebrated his biggest career title just days earlier in Vienna, lost to Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
This loss signifies that the 22-year-old Draper will not finish among the top eight players on the ATP Tour this season. With this setback, Draper’s breakout season has concluded, prompting him to shift focus to building on his achievements in 2025.
Reflecting on a remarkable year, Draper reached several significant milestones, including:
– Securing his first ATP Tour title at a 250 event in Stuttgart in June.
– Achieving his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open in September.
– Breaking into the ATP world rankings top 20 after his performance in New York.
– Becoming only the fourth British player since 2009 to win an ATP 500 title, with his victory in Vienna.
Despite the defeat, Draper will reach a new career-high ranking of 14th after winning two matches at the indoor tournament in Paris.
Draper, who exhibited confidence following his quick recovery from the Austrian capital, had previously triumphed over Czech Jiri Lehecka and American fifth seed Taylor Fritz in this final ATP 1,000 event of the season.
However, against De Minaur, Draper appeared to be fatigued, especially as the match progressed. The first set was closely contested, with Draper taking a crucial break in the 12th game to secure it. However, De Minaur quickly regained form, showcasing improved groundstrokes.
Draper’s frustration was evident when he broke his racquet after falling behind in the final set. Although he managed to equalize at 2-2, De Minaur maintained a high level of play, ultimately winning four of the last five games to keep his own hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin alive.
In another notable outcome at the Paris Masters, Spanish world number two Carlos Alcaraz also exited the tournament, losing to Frenchman Ugo Humbert in a closely contested match that ended 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
