Tennis: Draper survives late scare to win Vienna Open final

Jack Draper defeated former world No.8 Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 in a tight Vienna Open final on Monday (AEDT) to claim his first-ever ATP 500 trophy.

The title is Draper’s second overall and the biggest of his career, but it came in dramatic fashion after he relinquished a 4-0 lead in the second set with the match nearly going to a deciding set.

“I was playing so well, and then the momentum shifted a little bit,” Draper said.

“Honestly, I didn’t feel too nervous or tight, I just missed a few balls and made some wrong decisions, and Karen picked up his level.

“That’s a testament to how good he is, he’s a fighter and he’s in great form.

“It got really tight there, but I stayed solid and in a good mental frame.

“Luckily I was able to come through, it was a relief.”

The 22-year-old played a near-perfect first set and a half, winning 18 of 19 first-serve points in the opening set and carrying on the trend early in the second.

Draper also struck groundstroke winners at will, recording 30 to Khachanov’s 16 over the course of the one-hour, 35-minute match, while both players made just 15 unforced errors.

“To win my first ATP 500, it feels incredible,” the Brit continued.

“I am incredibly happy and so proud of myself and my team.

“It’s for moments like this [that I play], so I am going to enjoy it.”

The victory gives Draper a slim chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals in November, although he is a more realistic shot of ending the year in the world’s top 10 and attending the event in Turin as an alternate.

He now sits 555 points short of Grigor Dimitrov, who is 10th in the live standings, with a further 1,250 points up for grabs in the regular ATP season.

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