Dominant Draper fires past Fonseca

Amid splashes of yellow and green brightening up the stands on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, on the other side of the net to Draper on Saturday was Brazilian phenomenon Joao Fonseca.

The Brit had posted a dominant 6-4, 6-0 in their only previous meeting on his way to lifting the Indian Wells Masters 1000 trophy back in March.

Who would rise to the occasion for a fourth round berth?

Story of the match

Fonseca, on his main draw debut here in Paris, is rapidly becoming well-known on the Tour for his fearless ball striking.

But the British No.1 was absorbing that force and unleashing his own barrage; a whipped cross-court forehand signalled his intent as he set up a 2-1 lead. The world No.5 was opening up the court, combining power and finesse to neutralise the Fonseca threat.

The teenager kept pressing but Draper was dominating the key points, prompting former British No.1 Tim Henman to call out “Good work, Jack!” from the media seating. A forehand winner moments later concluded the opener.

Fonseca's fierce play whipped up the crowds, with chants of “Joaooooo Fonseeeeca” ringing around the stands.

Draper was undeterred and his full repertoire of powerful serves, delicate drop shots and inspired play turned up the heat on the Brazilian with a 4-3 break on the scoreboard.

Fonseca rocketed a forehand past Draper’s reach giving the world No.65 a chance to reignite his bid at 5-4 down but an overcooked forehand proved costly and a Draper winner ensured victory was just a set away. A 6-2 third set for the Brit drew a definitive line under Fonseca's impressive run.

Perhaps Fonseca ran out of resources; the teenager didn’t have the usual spring in his step. For sure though, more outings on the Grand Slam stages are coming.

As for Draper, the 23-year-old keeps delivering and is honing in on a possible quarter-final with world No.1 Jannik Sinner.

Key Stats

His powerful lefty serve helped Draper assert his dominance; he fired 40 of 68 first deliveries in. And he won 93 per cent of those first serve points, which is a Grand Slam best for the Brit. Draper also compiled an impressive five holds to love. It wasn't all about the power play though; the No.5 seed clipped in 15 successful drop shots.

Draper will join the winner of the third round clash between Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley in what will be the first time two British men have reached the Roland-Garros fourth round since 1963.

Draper's assessment

Facing the young and talented Fonseca: “I knew it was going to be a really tough match. Joao is someone who has come onto the Tour and has caught the attention of everyone: the players, the fans. He’s an incredible young player, there is so much to come from him.

“I think today, maybe a bit of experience counted. Obviously, he’s here on his debut and hasn’t played as many Grand Slams as myself, but I think he’s got an unbelievably bright future. He’s going to be right at the top of the game and good luck to him.”

On his performance: “I played pretty good. The conditions were quite difficult out here. I felt like the first set was really key, then I got on top of him a little bit. I used my forehand really well. Mentally it was a good performance from me today.

“I’m just happy to be in the second week here and hopefully there’s more to come.”

How he enjoys the Paris atmosphere: "It's not like anyone is against me, I understand this is entertainment. It's two guys competing against each other. If you are here and you are Brazilian, you're supporting Joao or if you are French and supporting a French player, that's not against me, so you want your player to win and that's fine. I don't think it is bad at all to have a rowdy atmosphere, that's what I play for."