History boy
The longest match in the history of the Wimbledon boys’ singles event could be the penultimate step towards ending another long British tennis drought. Jack Draper, whose favourite player is Andy Murray, is seeking to become the first local boy to win the junior final at the All England Club since Stanley Matthews in 1962.
Q. Does the name Stanley Matthews mean anything to you?
JACK DRAPER: No, I haven't heard that name.
Q. He's the last British junior boys champion.
JACK DRAPER: Really? Must be quite a long time ago.
Q. 1962.
JACK DRAPER: 1962, wow.
Wow, indeed. The son of former Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper is not seeded, but has beaten higher ranked opponents in three consecutive three-setters and on Friday outlasted Colombian No.6 seed Nicolas Mejia 7-6(5), 6-7(8), 19-17 in a record four hours, 24 minutes.
Liam Broady, in 2011, was the most recent British finalist. Laura Robson won the girls' title in 2008. Matthews, incidentally, was the son of the famous footballer of the same name and later had a moderate career as a senior.
Not long before the end of men’s ultra-marathon on Centre Court between Kevin Anderson and John Isner, Draper set up an overhead winner with a big forehand, then fell to the grass and did a celebratory backward roll.
The partisan crowd gave the 16-year-old a fine ovation as he left No.3 Court, then kindly consoled his weeping opponent. Oh, so close.
And, oh, so long. More than two and a half hours after his first match point, when he missed a make-able backhand down the line in the second set tie-break and had run out of Hawk-Eye challenges, Draper finally converted his 10th. "It was torture for me, but I was glad to get it done in the end, yeah,'' he admitted. "I don't think anything can ever really prepare for you for that as a junior tennis player."
A crunch game in the epic third set was the 23rd, when the Surrey teenager was forced to save five break points as the skies darkened and the first rain drops started to fall.
But the talented left-hander prevailed in the battle of break points not taken. He won just two of 17, and the tenacious Mejia one of 12. Having lost in the first round of all four of his previous Grand Slams, Draper gets a day of rest before contesting Sunday’s final against world No.1 Chun Hsin Tseng on No.1 Court.
"For one, I can't feel my legs,'' Draper smiled. "Apart from that, yeah, I'm overwhelmed by all. I was happy with the way I sort of came through it. But, yeah, no, I'm totally overwhelmed.''
It was torture for me, but I was glad to get it done in the end
That's probably the longest match I've had. But I was having loads of bananas, loads of sorts of electrolytes. That's what kept me going
"I don't think anything can really prepare you for that sort of match as, like, a junior player. That's probably the longest match I've had. But I was having loads of bananas, loads of sort of electrolytes. That's what kept me going.
"I've already been on the bike, I've been in the ice bath. I've tried to get some food down me. But, yeah, I'll definitely be feeling it whatever happens tomorrow. I have to try to prepare as best as possible for Sunday.''
Perhaps the least expected of the four junior finalists is Swiss qualifier Leonie Kung, ranked No.509. In just her second junior Grand Slam, the 17-year-old has toppled No.9 seed Yuki Naito, No.13 Caty McNally and now the No.10 Xiyu Wang, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3, to qualify for Saturday’s final against Roland-Garros semi-finalist Iga Swiatek of Poland.
I can't feel my legs. Apart from that, yeah, I'm overwhelmed by it all
Raised on a horse farm near the German-speaking village of Beringen, equestrian would have been a more obvious sporting path. Instead, at the age of six, Kung picked up her first racket, and has been playing ever since.
She competes at junior level rather sparingly, for finances are tight enough that the Kungs have determined the preferred route to a senior career is the direct one. Her week has already exceeded expectations, for the last qualifier to reach the girls’ final was Russian Anna Chakvedatze, who lost to Kirsten Flipkens in 2003.
“It’s so nice. I’m so, so happy that I was able to win this match and that I’m in the finals now,’’ said Kung. “It’s your biggest dream when you come to Wimbledon, but that it really happens? It’s amazing. It’s just unbelievable.
Her parents and sister are making the trip over from home. The first and only other Swiss girl to have reached a Wimbledon final was Martina Hingis, the champion in 1994. And, well, we all know what happened then.
“I’ve seen the (honour) board and many players that won this tournament were good later on in the professional tour,’’ said Kung. “So that’s really nice to see, and it makes me excited.’’