Britain’s Jack Draper defeated 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the ATP Winston-Salem Open quarterfinals.
The 20-year-old Englishman, who reached his first ATP Masters Series quarterfinal two weeks ago at Montreal, ousted the Austrian who won his first major title two years ago in New York.
Thiem missed most of last year with a right wrist injury, including the chance to defend his US Open title.
World number 231 Thiem hadn’t played a hardcourt match since March 2021 until this week but advanced to the third round when top seed Grigor Dimitrov retired in the second set of their second-round match.
Dutch second seed Botic van de Zandschulp advanced by beating Spain’s Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-3 to book a quarterfinal match against French 10th seed Benjamin Bonzi, who dispatched Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-2.
Two other Frenchmen advanced with Richard Gasquet rallying past American Steve Johnson 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3 and Adrian Mannarino ripping Spanish eighth seed Albert Ramos 6-3, 6-3.
Mannarino will next face US fourth seed Maxime Cressy, who ousted Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (3) while Gasquet faces Serbian Laslo Djere, who outlasted Australian Jason Kubler 7-6 (4), 6-7 (9), 6-3.
Top three seeds out of Cleveland
Czech top seed Barbora Krejcikova, Italian second seed Martina Trevisan and third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova were all eliminated from a WTA event in Cleveland on Wednesday.
The hardcourt tournament was a final tuneup for the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament that begins on Monday in New York.
American Bernarda Pera defeated 23rd-ranked Krejcikova 6-4, 6-1, while US compatriot Madison Brengle rallied to defeat Alexandrova 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
China’s Zhang Shuai advanced by walkover against Trevisan.
Thursday’s quarterfinals send Pera against compatriot Sofia Kenin, Zhang against 37th-ranked Alize Cornet of France, Brengle against 36th-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Liudmila Samsonova against Poland’s Magda Linette.