Tennis

Jack Draper's impressive performance at the Boss Open continued on Friday as he defeated defending champion Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling three-set quarterfinal match. The British star, making his tournament debut, served up a staggering 31 aces to secure a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1) victory.Draper's victory marks his sixth career ATP semifinal appearance and is projected to elevate him to a new career-high ranking of No. 33, just one spot outside a guaranteed seed for Wimbledon. The 22-year-old missed last year's home Grand Slam due to a shoulder injury.Draper's dominance was evident in the second and third sets, where he did not face a single break point. He rallied from a 0-30 deficit in the opening game of the decider and maintained his serve throughout.After failing to convert a match point in the 10th game, Draper seized control in the tiebreak, winning the first two points and the last five. "I am really happy with how I served and it was a really high-quality match," Draper said post-match.Draper will now face American Brandon Nakashima in the semifinals, while two-time tournament champion Matteo Berrettini will take on compatriot Lorenzo Musetti. Berrettini, who has won the Stuttgart title twice before, advanced with a straight-sets victory over James Duckworth.

Matteo Berrettini, the two-time champion at the BOSS Open, made a hard-fought return to the grass-court season with a 7-6 (8), 5-7, 7-5 victory over Roman Safiullin in Stuttgart on Tuesday.Berrettini, who missed Roland Garros for the third consecutive year due to fitness concerns, displayed resilience and determination throughout the match. Despite losing a 5-2 lead in the first-set tie-break, he rallied to win it and take an early advantage.However, Safiullin fought back in the second set, leveling the match. Berrettini faced pressure in the decider but held his ground, saving multiple break points and converting his fourth match point to secure the victory."I'm really proud of the way I fought on court," Berrettini said after the match. "The tennis wasn't my best level, but I didn't expect anything different after not playing for months."Denis Shapovalov will be Berrettini's next opponent in the second round. The Canadian defeated Matteo Martineau of France in straight sets.Meanwhile, Andy Murray's hopes of a strong start to his grass-court campaign were dashed by Marcos Giron. The American broke Murray's serve once in each set to win 6-3, 6-4. Giron will face Jack Draper in the next round.Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a tight match that went to two tie-breaks. Brandon Nakashima won an all-American clash with Chris Eubanks, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with lucky loser Richard Gasquet.With top seed Alexander Zverev withdrawing from the tournament, Nakashima has a chance to make a deep run in Stuttgart.