Alexei Popyrin falls to Jack Draper at Queen's Club Championships ahead of Wimbledon
Australia's Wimbledon preparations have taken a hit at the Queen's Club Championships, after Alexei Popyrin exited the tournament at the hands of home favourite Jack Draper.
With Alex de Minaur surprisingly knocked out and Jordan Thompson an injury casualty, it was all down to Popyrin to save the day for the Australian contingent in the round of 16.
But he departed Queen's via a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Draper, who will carry Great Britain's hopes in the Wimbledon men's singles draw.
Popyrin had saved two match points at 5-4 down in the final set, before recovering to take a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak.
World number six Draper held his nerve, though, coming up with the crucial big plays to disarm Popyrin and march into the quarterfinals.
"It was a tough match. Credit to Alexei, he played some amazing tennis," Draper said.
"It was a bit up and down but you guys helped get me through that."
Popyrin is at a career-high 21 on the ATP rankings after reaching the fourth round at the French Open.
Elsewhere at Queen's, rising Czech star Jakub Menšík crashed out 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to veteran Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
Menšík received a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct at one stage when he smashed his racquet on the ground.
Queen's is the key lead-up tournament before Wimbledon, which starts on June 30.
AAP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Brad Waters' Ballarat Synthetic tips: Friday June 27, 2025
Form analyst Brad Waters looks at Friday's meeting at Ballarat Synthetic, presenting his best bets, value selection and jockey to follow. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ BEST BET Race 3 No.1 AQUEDUCT: The locally-trained gelding showed ability last time in but his recent jumpouts indicate he can make a winning return on Friday. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ NEXT BEST Race 2 No.4 DYNASTY REWARD: Chased home the impressive Mercurial Lady on this track last time. He gets his chance to break through third-up. Race 6 No.2 FLYING STRAZ: She went to the spelling paddock after a synthetic win and could make it two in a row from the perfect draw on Friday. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ VALUE BET Race 4 No.14 TOROTENA: Looked in need of more ground when not disgraced on debut at Swan Hill. He can improve sharply with the benefit of race experience. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ THE JOCKEY – JORDAN CHILDS The gun hoop heads to Ballarat Synthetic for five rides on Friday. NEW CHARACTER (Race 3 No. 9 – $3.10), SIDELINE (Race 4 No. 4 – $3.70), NIGHT FLASH (Race 5 No. 5 – $6), RUBIQUITY (Race 6 No. 3 – $5.50), SUNDAY GEORGIE (Race 7 No. 6 – $11).
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Cup champ Knight's Choice set for exhibition gallop on Sunshine Coast
Melbourne Cup champion Knight's Choice is slated for an exhibition gallop at Breakfast With The Stars at Caloundra on Tuesday but forecast wet weather on the Sunshine Coast threatens to scupper that plan. The John Symons and Sheila Laxon -trained gelding hasn't raced since his epic victory in last November's Melbourne Cup as a $91 roughie, with a fetlock injury and southeast Queensland's atrocious weather ruining hopes of a comeback in the back half of the 2024-25 season. Symons said he had organised an exhibition gallop for Knight's Choice at Caloundra, which will host the final day of the carnival this weekend featuring the $300,000 Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m). 'If it doesn't rain too much, I've organised a gallop at Breakfast With The Stars here on Tuesday for him,' Symons said. However with up to 30mm of rain predicted for the Sunshine Coast on Monday, Symons could decide to save Knight's Choice for a spring campaign in Melbourne leading up to his Cup defence. 'He'll be going south shortly (to Macedon Lodge in Victoria),' Symons said. Last year Knight's Choice competed in Group 1 contests the Underwood Stakes (ninth), Turnbull Stakes (16th), Caulfield Cup (14th) and then the Group 3 Bendigo Cup (fifth) before Irishman Robbie Dolan rode him to a massive upset in the race that stops a nation. What did we just witness?! 🤯 KNIGHT'S CHOICE holds on to win the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup! 🎥 @wwos | #MelbourneCup | #MelbCupCarnival — Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) November 5, 2024 'We might start him off a little bit earlier because obviously he hasn't raced for a long time and then end up with the Cup, I hope,' Symons said. 'He could have a mile race prior to that. We'll let him tell us when he's ready to go. 'He hates wet tracks so we're trying to avoid them this year.' Symons and his wife Laxon had planned to run Knight's Choice in this month's $1.2 million Group 2 Q22, the 2200m race in which he finished second to Fawkner Park last year, but the constant rain in Brisbane over the past few months ruined that program. 'He throws his legs around on wet tracks,' Symons said. 'We didn't want to risk forcing him to get to the Q22 so we elected to wait and do it this way. Hopefully it's the right decision. 'The wet weather has been really frustrating. 'He's been in work for a long time and he's bursting out of his skin (to race).' Knight's Choice was initially earmarked to make his comeback in the All-Star Mile, won by Tom Kitten, back in March but bruised his fetlock in the paddock at Macedon Lodge in the lead-up to the $2.5 million feature at Flemington. 'He ran in the Caloundra Cup last year (finishing fourth) so he's a flagship horse for the club,' Sunshine Coast Turf Club boss John Miller said on Sunday. 'Anything they (Symons and Laxon) want to do we try to help them out and they try to help us out with promoting the club.' Knight's Choice won the 2023 Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m), another feature race this weekend as the winter carnival draws to a close.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Former NRL star Kevin Proctor suffers sickening KO by social media influencer at RUNIT event in Dubai
Former NRL veteran and 22 Test Kiwis forward Kevin Proctor was sensationally knocked out in scary scenes by social media influencer Jordan Simi at RUNIT 02 in Dubai overnight. The pair took part in an exhibition run it straight challenge at the big-money event early on Sunday morning, Australian time. In footage posted to social media, Proctor, who is defending, drives his right shoulder into the ball-carrying Simi. But the former Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans backrower comes off second best, as he spins in the air after contact and lands heavily on the ground. Proctor appears to be knocked out as he hits the floor, with his arms and legs going stiff in sickening scenes. A small crew of medics and officials rush to the 36-year-old's side as he struggles to sit back up. A former lower grade rugby league player, Simi is also an artist and has become a social media influencer. He also stepped into the boxing ring opposite Justin Hodges in 2022, losing a four-round unanimous decision. Proctor played 283 NRL games for the Storm and Titans in a 15-year footy career. He was sacked by the Titans after he posted a video to his Instagram story of himself vaping in the toilets during the halftime break of the Titans' loss to the Bulldogs in 2022. Proctor wasn't playing, but was 19th man when he captioned the video: 'Not the halftime vape'. He quickly deleted it, but was soon released by the Titans. One of the most controversial new combat sports on the planet, RUNIT staged its second event in Dubai, just a month after a New Zealand teenager died after playing a run it straight style game with friends. RUNIT and its deep-pocketed investors and sponsors flew eight athletes to Dubai, with $200,000 on offer for first place, while second took home $50,000 and third prize was $25,000.
