- The 22-year-old faltered as he played his eighth tour match in just 10 days.
- Draper has made his way up the rankings and will end the year as world number 14.
- Australian De Minaur has a chance of a place in the ATP Finals with a victory
Jack Draper’s late-season team finally ran out of gas when they were defeated by Alex de Minaur in the round of 16 of the Paris Masters.
After winning his Vienna title, this was the eighth match in 10 days for the British number 1 and that mileage was achieved in a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 defeat.
Everything was going well after the first set, but De Minaur, playing injured, comfortably took the second.
Draper’s hands were on his knees after being broken in the first game of the deciding set and the rare sight of a smashed racket showed there was both emotional and physical fatigue.
A breakthrough into the world’s top 10 will have to wait until 2025, but Draper still leaves France as the 14th best player on the planet.
Jack Draper’s excellent season ended with a three-set defeat at the Paris Masters
Signs of physical and mental strain began to appear as Draper lost steam in the French capital days after winning his first ATP 500 tournament.
World number 10, Alex de Minaur, will closely follow the race for the ATP Finals in Turin
The 22-year-old will now take a well-deserved rest and put an end to a season in which he has made a great leap forward.
His first two titles, a first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open and a rise of 48 places in the rankings – 2024 will go down as the year Draper arrived as a force in the game.