British No.1 Jack Draper reached his 2nd successive Queens quarterfinal with an impressive 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 comeback win over Alexei Popyrin. Draper impressed on serve, firing 14 aces and winning 81% of his first-serve points.
2025 ATP Tour
ATP 500 Hybrid
Terra Wortmann Open (Halle Open), HSBC Championships (Queens)
Selected Quarterfinals- 20th June
Queens
Jack Draper (2) 0.21 vs Brandon Nakashima 3.2
He was decisive at the net, winning 92% of his trips to the forecourt. Draper has enjoyed a meteoric rise these last 18 months or so, reaching a maiden career Grand Slam semifinal at last year’s US Open. He has continued the fine form this year, finishing runner-up in Qatar before claiming a maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. He even made progress on clay, reaching the Madrid semis before a 4th round run at the French Open. The big-serving lefty is a natural fit for grass, claiming his maiden grass-court title at last year’s Stuttgart Open. First, we had Henman Hill, then we had Murray Mania. What catchy moniker will Brits attribute to Draper in upcoming Wimbledon Championships? Draper delirium, perhaps.
Brandon Nakashima is developing into a tidy grass-court player. The aggressive American reached the 4th round of a slam for the first time in his career at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. He reached the semifinals in Stuttgart last year and would go on to reach the 3rd round at SW19. Nakashima had one nice little spell earlier this year, going 11-5 from the start of Delray Beach to the end of the clay-court event in Houston. He ultimately struggled on the clay and seems reinvigorated on grass, giving Alex Zverev a proper match in last week’s Stuttgart quarterfinals. Nakashima improved his 2025 grass-court record to 4-1 with his 7-5, 7-6 victory over Dan Evans. He served aggressively, collecting eight aces while winning 79% of his first-serve points. Nakashima’s no-nonsense groundstrokes and consistent serve have turned him into a formidable grass-court operator.
The Verdict: Draper to win in straight sets at 0.68- These two share the head-to-head spoils at one win apiece. Draper won their most recent meeting, winning in straight sets at last year’s Stuttgart Open (on grass). I think Draper’s more explosive power should see him through to another comfortable win. His booming lefty serve and concise net-play make him a compelling Wimbledon contender.
