Jack Draper is only the fourth Briton to reach the US Open singles semi-finals in the Open era.

By beating Zhang Zhizhen, Facundo Diaz Acosta, Botic van de Zandschulp, Tomas Machac and Alex de Minaur, he reached the last four, where world number one Jannik Sinner awaits him.

We take a look at the tennis journey that has brought Draper to this point.

Early promise shown at Wimbledon

Draper was seen as a promising talent in the British tennis world from an early age, but the first time he made an impression on a wider audience was at the Wimbledon junior tournament in 2018.

The left-handed pitcher was only 16 years old but attracted attention at the All England Club as he progressed through the rounds.

He faced Lorenzo Musetti, who reached the men’s semi-finals at SW19 this year, in the quarter-finals and defeated the hotly anticipated Italian before winning a marathon final battle against Nicolas Majia 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (6-8) 19-17.

Draper may still have been exhausted after such an epic match, but he lost in the final to Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Chun-hsin. Still, there was reason to believe he had much more in store.

Beating the Wimbledon champion

This was a breakthrough year for Draper, who won his first ATP title in June at the Stuttgart Open.

This made the 22-year-old Britain’s number one for the first time, but it wasn’t until a few days later, at Queen’s, that he made people really stand up and take notice.

Draper faced Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round. The Spaniard defended his 13-match winning streak on grass.

“As the British number one you would think that I would come to Queen’s as a home country for a tournament, but the opposite is true,” Draper said.

“I feel calm and relaxed because I know I’m doing the right things. I trust my tennis and I know I’ll be hard to beat.”

That composure was clearly visible as Draper defeated Alcaraz, who would later defend his Wimbledon title, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Tipped to reach the top

Andy Murray was the undisputed king of British tennis for a long time, but for most of his career there was no clear successor.

Draper became a contender for the title when he took a set against Novak Djokovic on his Wimbledon debut in 2021, but injuries and fitness issues in subsequent years threatened to hamper his progress.

However, he will be fully fit again in 2024 and during his last Wimbledon, Murray was very complimentary about his Davis Cup teammate.

“Jack definitely has the capabilities to reach the top,” said Murray.

“He’s a great player to watch and I think he has a great future.”

Draper was knocked out in the second round at SW19, but his performances in New York show why Murray thinks so highly of him.

And Draper’s comments about Murray after his fourth-round win over Machac in New York show the feeling is mutual.

“I miss being next to his stinky shoes and all his stinky clothes,” Draper said.

“But Andy is a legend and if I can match half of his career then I’ll be a happy man.”

Draper’s success to date sees him follow in the footsteps of 2012 champion Murray, 1997 runner-up Greg Rusedski and 2004 semi-finalist Tim Henman to reach the last four singles events of the Open Era in New York.

In Vogue – literally

Draper is also not one to shy away from the spotlight off the field.

Glamorous photoshoots with stylish fashion magazines have demonstrated his appeal to a wider audience.

Tatler described him last year as having a “jawline sharper than a Stanley knife” when he starred alongside fellow British actors Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie, and he recently appeared solo in Vogue.

“I quite enjoy being in front of the camera, as long as I look good,” Draper joked to Vogue.

Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, was even on his support team when he defeated Machac in the fourth round.

Tennis in the blood

There was little chance that Draper would avoid tennis at a young age, given his family’s involvement in the sport.

His father, Roger, was general manager of the Lawn Tennis Association between 2006 and 2013.

Meanwhile, her mother Nicky was one of Britain’s best players as a junior and is now a tennis coach.

His older brother Ben was also a talented tennis player, playing at the American collegiate level while attending the University of California-Berkeley.

In recent years, another family member, his dog Ozzy, has been important to Draper’s recreation off the field.

He says the Labradoodle helps him relax because he “doesn’t care if I’m having a bad day or a good day, he’s always happy.”

Outside of the tennis, it must have been a mixed few days for Draper, who is a huge Oasis fan and managed to get a ticket to play tennis next year.

But he’s also a Manchester United fan, and things haven’t gone so well for them…