Jack Draper wins historic third straight five-setter in Melbourne

Jack Draper became just the seventh man in Australian Open history to win three consecutive five-setters to make the fourth round, defeating Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic in a late-night thriller on Friday.

Having already gone the distance against Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis over his earlier in the week in Melbourne, Draper once again found himself up against it when Vukic took a two-sets-to-one lead.

But the No.15 seed – who was a $1.20 favourite at Marantelli Bet coming into the match – knuckled in and won back-to-back tiebreakers, getting over the line in just under four hours, 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(8).

“Usually [I’m] done after two sets, but you know, I think it’s a real testament to the work I’ve put in physically and the competitive side of things and the mental part as well,” Draper said after the match.

“Very proud of my efforts so far.

“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge drive forward, the fact that I’m mentally and physically, three five-set matches, it doesn’t happen often.

“Obviously it was a really high level, both of us. Played great.

“I thought that he produced some amazing tennis, especially in the big moments on the big points, and he competed incredibly well, as well.”

Vukic, who was playing in his first-ever third-round appearance at a Grand Slam, was equally proud of his efforts on Friday night, despite the result not going his way.
“Very bittersweet, but I have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.

“I played a really good match from my end. Left it all out there.

“Jack is an incredible competitor who I have a lot of respect for.

“Unfortunately, one of us had to win. So congrats to him.

“It’s one of those that I’ll take a lot of confidence from moving forward for the rest of the year.”

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Little separated the two over the duration of the match statistically, with both serving well and playing clean tennis from the back of the court.

With 74 winners to 45 unforced errors for Draper, and 81 to 53 for Vukic, the Australian was unlucky to end up on the wrong side of the score.

Draper’s victory sets up a mouth-watering round-of-16 clash with No.3 seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is second favourite ($3.40) on the top tennis betting apps to win the title in Melbourne.

The Brit defeated Alcaraz in their most recent meeting in 2024, but despite last year’s success, he will enter the match as a heavy underdog.

Tennis bookmakers put him at $7 to win, while Alcaraz’s odds of winning rest around $1.10.

However, Draper is confident of his ability to yet again push the Spaniard by employing the same kind of aggressive tennis that got him over the line against Vukic.

“I’m expecting him to come out and know that I’ve played three five-setters and know that he’s got a battle on his hands,” he said.

“He’s going to have to play good.

“I need to be aggressive. I need to take my chances.

“Against the top players you get less and less chances to win games and sets and all these sort of things.

“I need to be brave in the way I play.”

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