Jack Draper rides British wave at Eastbourne to reach quarter-finals

Young British talent Jack Draper reached his second tour-level quarter-final of his career and capped it off with an unwelcome present from a seagull at Eastbourne.

Draper's 7-5, 7-6 win over world No 15 Diego Schwartzman was the second-best of his career based on ranking, and saw him reach the last-eight in what was another busy day for the Britons at Eastbourne. But upon celebrating the victory, during a post-match interview by the court, some bird droppings splattered onto his wrist. “I’ve just been pooed on by a bird," he said, laughing. "Is that good luck?”

It is no wonder Draper, 20, could see the positives. Ranked just outside the top 100, he has been notching up some decent results on the grass, punching well above his weight. Draper reached the last-16 at Queen's, after beating Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz, and his latest upset over Schwartzman was impressive too.

After suffering from a few nerves while serving for the match, Draper recovered to play a clinical tiebreak to clinch the victory. He said his recent progress is partly due to muting the fiery side of his character, which was prone to over-boiling during his junior career.

"When I was a junior and just starting in the pros I was very up and down with my emotions," he said. "I’d be on a bit of a rollercoaster and therefore it’s tougher to stay in the moment. As you go up the levels playing against someone like Diego, these top players, they don’t give you those second chances. So it’s got to be up to me to make the difference.

"I want to be a top player in the world so I know I’m going to have to deal with all these emotions and pressures. But I feel like the only pressure I can put on myself is in my own head. So as long as I keep doing the right