Jack Draper closes out Lorenzo Musetti in another dazzling display to reach Madrid final

After lifting his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy at Indian Wells in March, Jack Draper is one win away from adding the Mutua Madrid Open crown to his collection.

In a contest that had no shortage of shot-making flair from a pair of 23-year-olds, Draper closed out a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Monte Carlo runner-up Lorenzo Musetti Friday night at the Caja Magica.

“I felt like both of us, our quality didn’t really drop from the first ball. Credit to Lorenzo, he’s playing so good on the clay,” Draper told ATP Media afterwards.

Both competitors brought a high level to Manolo Santana Stadium, each clocking 99 m.p.h. on the radar gun with their forehands. Having traded early breaks, it was Draper’s balance of defense and offense that propelled him to a one-set advantage—working points to line up his lefty forehand with inside-out and inside-in targets to lethal effect.

Musetti kept pace with his own mix of aggression and restraint, showing his willingness to pull out the drop shot and reading the court to close points at the net. The Italian later held break point to put the second set on his racquet in the eighth game, though made an ill-timed decision to redirect a forehand up the line when Draper caught him off-balance with a deep shot down the middle.

At 2-2 in the tie-break, Musetti brought his opponent forward with a dipping slice backhand. Draper made a great dig on the shot, before the No. 10 seed narrowly missed his crosscourt forehand pass to concede the mini break. That’s all the Brit needed to reach the finish line, capping a brilliant performance with one final backhand passing shot winner.

“To get this win on this court and this stage in the semifinals, this competition honestly means so much to me,” said Draper.

Draper improved to 4-0 against Musetti in moving to 19-4 on the season. He’s now knocked off five consecutive Top 20 opponents and is yet to drop a set during this tournament.

Due to make his Top 5 debut next Monday, Draper faces Casper Ruud in Sunday’s championship. The Norwegian saved 15 of 18 break points to halt Francisco Cerundolo, 6-4, 7-5.