Published On: Fri, May 2nd, 2025

Jack Draper reaches Madrid Open final after beating Lorenzo Musetti

Great Britain's Jack Draper celebrates his victory on Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the end of their 2025 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament semifinals singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on May 2, 2025.
An impressive Jack Draper reached his first clay-court final with a straights sets victory over Lorenzo Musetti – Getty Images/Thomas Coex

Britain’s fast-rising No 1 Jack Draper surged into the final of the Madrid Open with another magnificent performance, and then said it was “amazing” to perform so well in front of his mother Nicky.

“I haven’t won a match in front of her for a while,” Draper told the Sky Sports commentary team after his 6-3, 7-6 win over Lorenzo Musetti. “The last one was in Monte Carlo [where he lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina] and I had a shocker.

“She’s made so many sacrifices and been such an amazing support to me over the years,” Draper added. “So for her to be here, it’s very special.”

Nicky Draper joined coach James Trotman and physio Shane Annun in her son’s player box for this riveting contest. All three managed to remain calm, as far as one could tell from the outside, despite some anxious moments in the latter stages.

Draper applauded Musetti off the court after a wonderful spectacle, which was illuminated by the Italian’s wizardry. Having been overwhelmed by Draper’s power in the first set, Musetti dominated the winner count thereafter.

His display peaked in a shot you could go a whole season without seeing: a single-handed drive volley from near the baseline.

And yet, Draper was able to soak up Musetti’s creativity and keep coming forward. Just when it looked like he might be running out of energy, he finished with a series of thunderous serves that gave him the edge in the tie-break.

Draper thus earned a crack at Casper Ruud, the two-time French Open finalist, in Sunday’s final. The day off will be a welcome relief, because Draper was forced to work a lot harder in this two-hour match than the scoreline might suggest.

Asked where the key moments had been, Draper replied: “It felt like a key moment every point. I thought the level was really high from both of us. I played Lorenzo all throughout the juniors, and it’s always been tough battles, but he’s a different animal on the clay.”

The surface might have been expected to favour Musetti. While Italians grow up on red clay, British players usually spend most of their developmental years on fast indoor courts. When they travel to the Continent, few are able to master the slippery footing or the appropriate use of spin.

So for Draper to have surged through this draw so convincingly – becoming the first Briton to reach a clay-court final at Masters 1000 level since Andy Murray in his peak season of 2016 – is quite a feat. Draper has been the highest surviving seed in Madrid for a couple of rounds now, but that expectation has not affected him; instead he keeps rising to the challenge.

In this semi-final, Draper was not really tested until the players walked out for the second set. But then, with Musetti finding a streak of inspiration, the crowd started to get behind the Italian. They knew quality when they saw it, and they wanted a deciding set.

There were moments towards the end of that second set when Draper looked like he might falter, or perhaps simply run out of gas. Musetti did manage to bring up a rare break point – one of only three in the match – but missed a forehand when he was looking to apply pressure in the crucial rally.

Ten minutes later, Musetti missed another forehand, this one an attempted passing shot that drifted an inch or two wide. That gave Draper a slight edge in the tie-break, which he capitalised on brilliantly. The fact that these two fractional errors should have decided the outcome shows what a high-quality contest it was.

Asked how he had kept such a cool head in the closing stages, Draper replied: “In these moments now, I’m just thinking about all the pain I go through on a daily basis. On versaclimber [a sadistic training device that resembles an endless rope ladder], on the practice court, what Matt Little my SNC [strength and conditioning] coach is putting me through. Just, yeah, all the sacrifices. I try and remember why I do it and why I go through that.”

Draper’s win-loss record for 2025 has now improved to 19-4. He is not far behind Carlos Alcaraz (25-5) as the player of the season to date, and is increasingly pushing for a seat at the top table. Victory over Ruud on Sunday would deliver a second Masters 1000 title in six weeks: a feat which even Murray only achieved once in his entire illustrious career.

How different this Draper is to the man who stumbled so badly on clay last year, winning only five of 12 matches. He has truly found his mojo on this most individual of surfaces, and his readiness to attack is a major part of the picture.

“I was looking at my coach,” said Draper after his win over Musetti, “because sometimes in those big moments, I was going a little bit passive. At this level, against that calibre of opponent, he’s not going to let you off the hook. And so I thought I did a great job, especially in the end, of changing tactically. Maybe serve-volleying a little bit more, and just trying to be offensive, to be on the front foot. We both competed and battled so hard, so I’m proud of that.”

09:27 PM BST

Two cool milestones for Draper

09:25 PM BST

‘Lorenzo’s a different animal on the clay’

09:23 PM BST

‘Quality didn’t really drop from the first ball’

Draper speaking to TennisTV: “I felt like our quality didn’t really drop from the first ball. Credit to Lorenzo, he’s honestly playing so good on the clay. I’ve played him on the clay and on the hard and on the grass in juniors growing up with him but on the clay he’s a different beast. So to get this win, on this court at this stage in the semi-finals, in this competition, honestly it means a lot to me.”

Jack Draper and Lorenzo Musetti at the net in Madrid

09:14 PM BST

Match point

09:11 PM BST

Draper takes the second-set tie-break and the match!

Musetti wins the opening point as Draper’s return sails long. 0-1

The Briton gets to 1-1 as Musetti fires a groundstroke out. 1-1

Musetti then pushes a backhand long to give Draper the lead. 2-1

Draper sees a backhand fly long as Musetti draws level. 2-2

Musetti goes wide with an attempted passing shot to give Draper the first mini break. 3-2

A huge serve down the T is unreturned by Musetti. 4-2 Draper. 4-2

Big combination sees Draper finish the point with a huge forehand. 5-2

Draper then nets a backhand. 5-3

Musetti comes up with a forehand winner. 5-4

Good serve out wide is returned wide by Musetti. 6-4

And Draper wins it with a lovely passing shot on the backhand wing!

Brilliant stuff from the Briton!

09:01 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 6-3, 6-6 Musetti

Draper comes out on top after an extended baseline exchange. Musetti then comes up with a backhand volley winner to level up at 15-15.

The Italian then sneaks ahead as Draper nets a forehand. A good serve out wide brings Draper to 30-30 and then 40-30 as Musetti shanks a forehand that does not go over the net.

Draper holds! Tie break will decide this second set.

08:57 PM BST

Draper fatiguing?

Two dominant service games in a row to take us to 6-5. Jamie Delgado, on Sky’s commentary, suggested that Draper is beginning to fatigue – but that was before he held to love with a magnificent sequence of points.

08:55 PM BST

Second set: Draper 6-3, 5-6 Musetti*

Well watched volley is put away from Musetti to open the scoring. Draper then goes long from the baseline as Musetti edges 30-0 ahead.

The Italian then rips a forehand winner down the line to bring up three game points and holds to love!

08:52 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 6-3, 5-5 Musetti

Draper, serving to stay in this second set, wins the opening point with a cool volley.

A big serve to the Musetti forehand wing sees the Briton get to 30-0 and then 40-0 after doing enough with a backhand pass as Musetti nets a forehand volley.

Draper holds to love to quickly level things up. Pressure back on Musetti!

08:49 PM BST

Second set: Draper 6-3, 4-5 Musetti*

Two quick well constructed points sees Musetti get to 30-0.

Draper rips a backhand down the line to get to 30-15 and the Musetti comes up with his own huge forehand cross to bring up two game points. 

The Italian closes out the game with an ace.

08:45 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 6-3, 4-4 Musetti

Draper gets on the board first before double faulting.

A stunning forehand slice drop shot, on the slide, from Draper gets the Briton to 40-15 before he nets a forehand from the baseline.

Draper then shanks a forehand as Musetti gets to deuce. A backhand long then brings up a break point for Musetti… the Italian goes wide with a forehand which draws an audible “come on” from Draper who wins the next point as Musetti nets an attempted drop shot.

The Briton rips a forehand down the line to close out the game.

08:39 PM BST

As Briggs was saying…

08:38 PM BST

Musetti magic

The stats show that Musetti is making a lot more errors than Draper, who remains rock solid on his bread-and-butter shots. But the magic is also beginning to follow from the Italian’s racket. He is one of the most creative players on the tour, and he isn’t going away.

08:36 PM BST

Second set: Draper 6-3, 3-4 Musetti*

Draper gets on the board first before Musetti comes up with a lovely angled forehand to get to 15-15.

Some more good court coverage sees Musetti get to 30-15 and then 40-15 with a backhand volley after some good hustling from the back of the court.

The Italian holds!

08:32 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 6-3, 3-3 Musetti

Strong first serve sees Draper win the opening point before Musetti gets to 15-15 after ripping a passing shot by Draper who was stranded at the net.

Musetti then breaks a string and loses the point to fall 30-15 behind. Draper comes out on top in the next to bring up two game points and takes it on his first to level things up.

08:27 PM BST

Second set: Draper 6-3, 2-3 Musetti*

Some lovely court craft sees Musetti get to 15-15.

The Italian then hits a wicked forehand down the line to get to 30-15 before chasing down and reaching a Draper drop shot that Briton is able to return to level things up at 30-30.

Musetti closes out the next point at the net to get to game point and seals it as Draper nets a return.

08:23 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 6-3, 2-2 Musetti

Draper shows his good hands with a nice backhand drop shot that proved too good for Musetti.

A strong first serve at 30-0 followed by an ace sees Draper wrap up the game to love.

Nice easy hold for the Briton.

08:19 PM BST

Second set: Draper 6-3, 1-2 Musetti*

Draper gets on the board first thanks to a Musetti error. The Italian then levels up as Draper goes long with a groundstroke far behind his baseline.

At 40-30 and looking in control of the rally, Musetti nets a backhand and then goes long on the next point to give Draper another break point look. The Italian saves it, showing good hands to play a nice lob on the backhand wing.

Musetti wins the next point and seals the game with a clean backhand winner down the line to sneak ahead in this second set.

08:13 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 6-3, 1-1 Musetti

Draper holds to 15 after a clean service game. 

The Briton hit just one winner but saw Musetti rack up three unforced errors in a messy return game for the Italian.

08:08 PM BST

Second set: Draper 6-3, 0-1 Musetti*

Musetti races to a 40-0 lead before closing out the game to love with an ace.

08:06 PM BST

Fascinating set of tennis

A fascinating set of tennis between two of the most in-form players on the tour. In the end, Draper’s power – and ability to find winners with his serve – made the difference. Interesting to see that both men are winning just 30 per cent of second-serve points, which shows how much pressure they are under every time they step up to the line.

Jack Draper in Madrid

08:04 PM BST

Superb opening set from the Briton

08:03 PM BST

Draper wins the first set 6-3!

Musetti comes out on top after an extended baseline exchange.

Draper then aces the Italian with a huge serve down the T. Another big serve down the T gets Draper to 30-15.

Then some big hitting from both men sees Musetti finish the point with a 170kmh-forehand down the line.

Draper sees a set point pass him by as he goes wide with a backhand slice. A gutsy drop shot then brings up set point number three for the Briton and he takes it!

07:58 PM BST

First set: Draper 5-3 Musetti*

Musetti wins the opening point as Draper goes long with a forehand on the run. The Italian then gets to 30-0 as Draper nets a backhand.

Draper rips another forehand down the line to to get to 30-40 and gets to deuce thanks to another error from Musetti racket.

A huge forehand down the line brings up set point for the Briton. Musetti saves it with a quality forehand strike of his own down the line followed by a good body serve that Draper returns long. The Briton gets to deuce as Musetti nets an attempted drop shot.

Musetti eventually holds. Over to Draper to serve out this first set.

07:48 PM BST

First set: Draper* 5-2 Musetti

Musetti goes long with a forehand from the baseline and then gets lucky with a net cord to get to 15-15.

A brilliant serve from the deuce side gets Draper to 30-15 and then 40-15 as Musetti goes long with a return.

Draper holds to reassert his advantage in this opening set.

07:46 PM BST

First set: Draper 4-2 Musetti*

Musetti pushes a forehand wide as Draper gets on the board first. Two errors from the Briton see Musetti take a 30-15 lead and then 40-15 thanks to a backhand volley.

The Italian eventually holds to 15 to slow Draper’s momentum.

07:40 PM BST

First set: Draper* 4-1 Musetti

Draper nets a backhand from the baseline to gift Musetti the opening point.

A big serve out wide gets the Briton to 15-15. Draper then goes long with a forehand as Musetti gets to 15-30.

Another intelligent serve on the ad side sees Draper get to 30-30.

Musetti then goes long with a backhand that skids off the line and Draper holds.

07:36 PM BST

First set: Draper 3-1 Musetti*

Musetti races to 30-0 lead before Draper levels things up at 30-30.

The Italian sneaks ahead again as Draper commits an error.

A nice volley gets Musetti to advantage but Draper cracks another forehand winner cross-court to get back to deuce before hanging in a long rally with the Italian and getting to advantage.

Some strange decision making sees Draper go wide with an attempted dropshot but the Briton gets a second break point look and takes full advantage as Musetti nets another backhand.

07:30 PM BST

High-quality tennis early on

Some high-quality tennis early on. Draper is bringing the heat but you can see how Musetti has a real gift when it comes to angles and changes of pace. The contrast is already making for a tight contest. 

07:27 PM BST

First set: Draper* 2-1 Musetti

Musetti gets on the board first. Draper attempts to hit a drop shot on the backhand wing but nets it.

A heavy backhand cross gets Draper to 15-30 and then 30-30 as Musetti nets a regulation groundstroke on the forehand wing.

The Italian then gets to 30-40 after a lovely passing shot and the Italian converts his break point as he fires a forehand cross-court.

07:22 PM BST

First set: Draper 2-0 Musetti*

Draper rips a forehand down the line to go 0-15. The Briton then gets to 0-30 as Musetti goes long with a backhand after an extended rally.

More front-foot tennis sees Draper get to 0-40 as he hits a clean backhand winner cross.

A good serve to the body gets Musetti on the board but the Italian then double faults to hand Draper the first break of the match.

07:18 PM BST

First set: Jack Draper* 1-0 Lorenzo Musetti

Draper gets on the board first as Musetti pushes a backhand long. The Briton gets to 30-0 as Musetti hits another backhand out.

The Italian gets on the board as Draper goes long with a forehand. Musetti gets to 30-30 thanks to a lovely backhand winner down the line, then gets to 30-40 as Draper nets a forehand.

Ace from Draper gets him back to deuce and then advantage as Musetti nets a backhand from the baseline.

Draper eventually holds after saving a break point.

07:07 PM BST

Coin toss

Musetti won the toss and has elected to receive.

07:06 PM BST

Players are on court…

Lorenzo Musetti, in his sleeveless tank, is first on court followed by Jack Draper.

06:57 PM BST

That Draper-Musetti meeting in Vienna

Draper got the better of the Italian in straight sets – 6-2, 6-4 – and went on to win his first title at ATP 500 level, beating Karen Khachanov in the Erste Bank Open final.

06:44 PM BST

Ruud sees off Cerundolo

06:36 PM BST

Final against Ruud on the line

Good evening and welcome to coverage of Jack Draper versus Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.

Draper, playing in his first clay-court semi-final at Masters 1000 level, is bidding to reach his third final of the season after going all the way in Indian Wells in March after falling short in the championship match in Doha in February.

The 23-year-old lefty has elevated his level since then and can look forward to breaking into the world’s top five next week as a result of his strong showing in Madrid. Draper is yet to drop a set and has posted progressively dominant scorelines with each passing round.

In yesterday’s quarter-final the fifth seed bageled the man that got the better of fourth seed Novak Djokovic in round two, Matteo Arnaldi. Draper saw off the Italian 6-0, 6-4 and spoke about how “well prepared” he has been this week.

“I’ve worked really hard every single day to do all the right things off the court, on the court. When I go out there on a match court, I have a feeling that it’s going to be ok because I’ve prepared so well.”

Musetti will be the biggest challenge for Draper so far. Like Draper, 10th seed Musetti is also yet to drop a set and has posted impressive wins against the likes of 17th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and sixth seed Alex de Minaur en route to the last four. Musetti also reached the final in Monte Carlo last month.

Draper and Musetti have played each other three times and the Briton has come out on top on each occasion. All three of those meetings were on indoor hard courts with the most recent being a semi-final in Vienna last year. Draper went on to win that tournament which may prove to be a good omen.

The winner will play Casper Ruud, the 14th seed from Norway, in Sunday’s final.

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