Jack Draper Withdraws from Japan Open Quarter-Final

Jack Draper has withdrawn from the Japan Open after he retired during his quarter-final match against France’s Ugo Humbert. The 23-year-old lost the first set 7-5 and trailed 2-1 in the second set when he chose to retire. Draper took a medical timeout early in the second set to receive treatment for abdominal discomfort but ultimately could not continue playing.

Humbert will advance to face the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac on Monday for a spot in the final. In the other semi-final, Denmark’s Holger Rune will meet Frenchman Arthur Fils after Rune defeated Kei Nishikori with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. This tournament comes on the heels of Draper’s recent success, as he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open earlier this month where he lost in straight sets to world number one Jannik Sinner.

During that match, Draper experienced significant distress and vomited three times on the court. He has expressed intentions to address his sickness issues but it remains unclear whether his recent health concerns in Tokyo are connected to those earlier incidents. Jack Draper also reported feeling unwell immediately after his first-round victory at the Australian Open in January, attributing his condition to “psychological stress.”

In other tournament news, world number three Carlos Alcaraz will face Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals of the China Open after he defeated Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor with a commanding score of 6-1, 6-2 in the last 16 in Beijing.