Kwon Soon-woo beats Jack Draper to reach final in Adelaide

Kwon Soon-woo [AP/YONHAP]

Kwon Soon-woo beat world No. 40 Jack Draper in the semifinals at the Adelaide International 2 on Friday, advancing to the final at an ATP 250 event for the first time since he won the Astana Open in Kazakhstan in 2021.

Kwon, who ranks lower than Draper at No. 84, beat the British player in the gruelling three-set game after tie-breakers were needed to decide both the first and second set.

Kwon won the first set 7-6, winning 8-6 on a long tie-breaker to decide the set. The second set went to Draper 7-6, with the Briton winning the tie-breaker 7-2. Kwon rebounded in the third set for a far quicker 6-3 to take the set and the match.

Friday's win marks an unusually quick turnaround in the world of tennis, with the pair having faced off for the first time just last week at the Adelaide International 1, when Draper won; 6-2, 6-1.

Kwon advanced to the semifinals after beating No. 77 Mikael Ymer in the quarterfinals and second seed No. 15 Pablo Carreño Busta earlier in the tournament.

As of press time, Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia and Roberto Bautista Agut are still set to face off on the other side of the bracket do decide the second finalist.

Kwon has been gradually picking up his game so far this year, climbing up from qualifiers at Adelaide International 2 after crashing out of the 1 circuit. His first serve, return points and aces have all been improving, as noted by Tennis Major and other foreign outlets.

The Adelaide 2 final will be the final match on Centre Court on Saturday, following the double's and women's finals

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]