Jack Draper keeps British hopes alive at Eastbourne after reaching semi-finals

Jack Draper became the last British player standing in the singles draws at Eastbourne after battling past compatriot Ryan Peniston to reach the semi-finals.

The 20-year-old tournament debutant won the final five games in a row, including breaking his opponent three times in succession, to wrap up a 6-3 6-3 win at the Rothesay International.

Draper will now face French-born American Maxime Cressy in what will be his first ATP Tour semi-final.

Peniston, who was also a quarter-finalist at Queen’s, Nottingham and Surbiton this summer, joined fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Harriet Dart in exiting the competition at the quarter-final stage on Thursday.

British men’s number one Norrie was denied a first Devonshire Park semi-final after slipping to a 7-5 7-5 defeat to world number 60 Cressy, while Dart was outclassed by two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, losing 6-3 6-4.

Draper then provided some much-needed cheer for the home crowd as he backed up Wednesday’s stunning second-round victory over world number 15 Diego Schwartzman by dispatching countryman Peniston.

In a first tour-level meeting between the left-handed wildcards, Peniston initially gained the upper hand as he took the opening two games of an entertaining contest.

But, having earlier in the day wasted little time in completing a 7-6 (8) 3-6 6-3 success in his delayed round-two clash with Spaniard Pedro Martinez, the 26-year-old was ultimately well beaten.

World number 108 Draper took six of the next seven games on court number one to clinch the opening set before the second followed a similar pattern as he survived a brief momentum swing to overturn a 3-1 deficit and progress.

Norrie, who will be seeded ninth at Wimbledon next week, could have been