Jack Draper topples Karen Khachanov to capture biggest title in Vienna 

Jack Draper secured the biggest title of his career with a stellar performance at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, after toppling Almaty champion Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday.

The 22-year-old was already assured of a new career-high ranking, having halted Tomas Machac and No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti earlier in the week. Now, the ATP’s incoming world No. 15 has added a second title to his haul this year after his victory in Stuttgart—Draper’s first at the 500 level.

Read More: Great Britain’s Jack Draper reaches biggest final of career in Vienna, secures Top 15 debut

“There were so many great players in the draw, to win my first ATP 500 title feels incredible,” Draper said in an on-court interview. “I’m incredibly happy, I’m so proud of myself and my team. All the work we’ve put in, it’s for moments like this.”

The No. 7 seed had to maintain composure after a second set wobble saw Khachanov rally back from a double-break deficit.

The Russian has been in red-hot form after winning his seventh ATP title last week at the Almaty Open and came into the match with a 2-1 lead in the head to head with Draper. But he struggled to find inroads against Draper’s “PlayStation” tennis: the Brit didn’t face a break point in first set, and he opened up a 4-0 lead in the second before Khachanov roared back.

“Geez, I was playing so good, and then the momentum shifted a little bit,” Draper said afterward.

“Honestly I didn’t feel like I was too nervous or too tight, I just missed a few balls here and there and maybe a couple of wrong decisions. Karen just started swinging, started picking up his level. That’s a testament to how good he is, he’s a fighter and he’s in great form.

“It got really tight there for a minute, but I stayed solid and I stayed mentally in a good frame. Luckily I was able to come through when it mattered.”

Draper closed out Khachanov with 32 winners across two sets, including 16 winners from the forehand side, offset by 20 unforced errors—most coming in the topsy-turvy second set.

As the Russian’s forehand sailed wide, Draper threw off his hat and fell to his back, covering his face as he took it all in.

Draper is the first player to win Vienna in his tournament debut since his compatriot Andy Murray in 2014, and the fourth British champion in tournament history after Greg Rusedski (1999), Tim Henman (2000), and Murray (2014, 2016).