Jack Draper demonstrated the fighting spirit that marks a true British champion at Queen's Club this afternoon, recovering from a set down to defeat Australia's Alexei Popyrin 3-6 6-2 7-6.
The 23-year-old British No1 showed remarkable resilience on the Andy Murray Arena, turning around what appeared to be a troubling start against the world No21.
After dropping the opening set, Draper found his rhythm in the second, breaking twice to level the match.
The contest stretched over two hours and 13 minutes before the second seed sealed victory with a thunderous ace in the deciding tie-break.
Jack Draper battled from a set down to beat Alexei Popyrin 3-6 6-2 7-6
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The match took a peculiar turn when a bizarre gust of wind swept across the court, sending a spectator's hat flying into Popyrin and scattering fell from the barriers onto the playing surface.
Draper's serving, though, proved both problematic and decisive.
A double-fault handed Popyrin a break point early in the third set, but the Briton responded with a crucial ace to hold serve.
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Jack Draper is searching for his first-ever semi-final appearance at Queens
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In the tie-break, Popyrin led 4-2 before Draper accelerated brilliantly, winning five of the final six points.
"It was a tough match, credit to Alexei, he played some amazing tennis," Draper said after his victory.
"I love playing at home and in front of my friends and family. It's an emotional moment.
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"In the first couple of sets it wasn't pretty at all, I need time to adjust to the grass but it's one more under the belt," he said, looking ahead to Friday's quarter-final.
This marks Draper's third quarter-final appearance at Queen's Club, but he has never progressed beyond that stage.
A semi-final berth would guarantee him a fourth seed at Wimbledon, a significant advantage for the Championships.
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Jack Draper could enter Wimbledon later this month as the fourth seed
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His next opponent will emerge from the clash between Dan Evans, ranked 199th in the world, and American Brandon Nakashima.
An all-British quarter-final would provide another compelling chapter in this year's tournament.
Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend praised Draper's fearless returning style, suggesting it could prove crucial at Wimbledon.
"Grass-court tennis rewards the fearless and Draper, for me, looks like he wants to play fearless tennis on return and that could be so crucial come Wimbledon time.
"With return, there's a more stark difference if you say Novak Djokovic is the best returner and he's 10 out of 10, well the 50th best returner in the world is more like a six out of 10, rather than an eight out of 10 for the serve, so there is a huge difference there.
"It means there are fewer guys who are able to make the change, make the impact on those big moments on grass and I think Draper is absolutely one of those guys who can do that."
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