Tennis

Jack Draper, the newly-crowned British No. 1, stunned the tennis world by defeating world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the cinch Championships on Thursday. The 22-year-old Draper, who captured his first ATP title at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart just last week, extended his winning streak to seven matches with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over the Roland Garros champion.Draper's triumph marks the biggest win of his young career and comes as a major upset, given Alcaraz's impressive form on grass. The Spaniard had won Queen's Club and Wimbledon back-to-back last summer and was looking to build on his unbeaten run on the surface in 2023.However, Draper, who is playing at a career-high ranking of No. 31, proved to be too strong for Alcaraz on this occasion. The Brit, who had defeated former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in the BOSS Open final, carried his momentum into Queen's Club and played with confidence and aggression throughout the match.The first set was a tight affair, with both players holding serve comfortably. However, Draper seized the initiative in the tiebreaker, racing through the first four points and ultimately sealing the set 7-3.Draper continued to impress in the second set, earning the match's first break point when Alcaraz served down 2-3. The Brit converted the break point and saved a break point of his own to edge within a game of the upset.Alcaraz fought back bravely, saving a pair of match points down 15-40 and a third as the game sprawled across six deuces. However, Draper remained composed and served out the match to secure a famous victory.Up next for Draper is an opportunity for another upset in No. 5 seed Tommy Paul, who is yet to drop a set at Queen's Club. Draper leads Paul 3-1 in their head-to-head meetings.

Holger Rune's inconsistent form continued on Monday as he suffered a first-round upset at the cinch Championships, losing 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to Jordan Thompson. The No. 7 seed, who has struggled for consistency in 2024, failed to capitalize on a set advantage against the unseeded Australian.Rune, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023, was looking to make a smooth transition from clay to grass. However, he struggled to find his rhythm against Thompson, who started the season with a stunning victory over Rafael Nadal.Thompson, ranked No. 32, is enjoying a career-best season. He won his first ATP title in Los Cabos and captured his first Masters 1000 doubles title with Sebastian Korda.In the decider, Thompson raced out to a 3-0 lead and held his nerve to secure his 11th career Top 20 victory. He will now face former world No. 1 Andy Murray, who will play Alexei Popryin on Tuesday.Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Grigor Dimitrov made a strong start to his Queen's Club campaign, defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 6-2. Dimitrov will face the winner of the first-round clash between Sebastian Korda and Karen Khachanov.Rune's early exit is a setback in his bid to regain his top-10 ranking. The young Dane has seen his ranking drop from No. 7 to No. 15 in the last six months, with early exits in three of the five Masters 1000 tournaments in 2024.