“I think the more matches I obviously play at this level will keep helping my confidence on this surface,” Jack Draper said few days back after clinching a R16 win in Madrid. He appears to be unstoppable as of now, having reached the semifinal of the ATP 1000 event for the first time. Not just that, the Brit has also ensured a fifth spot, too, in the rankings. After two decades, he’s set to become only the second left-handed player since 22-time slam king Rafael Nadal in 2005, to break into the top 5 this century. But right now, his eyes will be set on reaching a maiden summit clash in Madrid. On Friday, he will step on the court against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti. So who will have the last laugh? Let’s try to find out.

Jack Draper v Lorenzo Musetti: Preview

Jack Draper’s 2025 season has been highly impressive to say the least. Back in January, he delivered a fine run in Australian Open and reached the fourth round before losing to Carlos Alcaraz. Riding high on that win, in Doha too, he maintained his consistency and entered the summit clash. Sadly, he couldn’t win the title against Andrey Rublev. However, the Brit then eventually won his maiden trophy of the season, and first ATP 1000 title, at the Indian Wells Masters. In the summit clash, he beat Denmark’s Holger Rune in straight sets.

His form took a dip afterwards as Draper was ousted in R64 and then R16 at the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters. But it seems the 23-year-old has regained his lost rhythm in Madrid. He began his campaign with straight-set victory over Tallon Griekspoor. Draper then received a direct entry in R16 after his opponent, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, retired midway due to an injury. In the QF stage, the Brit ousted American star Tommy Paul with a score line of 6-2, 6-2 to enter the semis.

Speaking of his opponent, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti’s 2025 season has been average so far. He started the year with a QF run at the Hong Kong Open in January. However, he failed to leave a mark in Australia, crashing out of the third round. In Argentina, he delivered a promising performance. Musetti reached the QF stage there. But his form then took a sharp dip in back-to-back tournaments.

Across the Sunshine Double events (Indian Wells and Miami Open), Musetti was ousted in R32 and R16 respectively. But he bounced back soon with a huge improvement. He entered the summit clash of the Monte Carlo Masters. Unfortunately, he couldn’t win against an in-form Carlos Alcaraz and also due to his own injury that affected his performance. Coming into the Madrid Open, the Italian began his journey with a straight-set win over Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry. He then ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas, in R32, before taking down Aussie Alex de Minaur in the R16. In the quarterfinal match against Canadian Gabriel Diallo, Musetti won comfortably in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) to make it to his maiden Madrid Open semifinal.

Draper v Musetti: Head-to-Head

Both players have met on three occasions across ATP events in their careers. So far, Draper leads the h2h tally 3-0 against Musetti. Their last meeting was in Vienna, in 2024, where the Brit emerged victorious.

• 2024 Vienna SF: Draper 6-2, 6-4
• 2023 Sofia R16: Draper 7-5, 6-2
• 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Round Robin: Draper 4-1, 4-0, 4-3(3)

Prediction: Jack Draper to win in straight sets

Jack Draper has a solid edge over Lorenzo Musetti when it comes to singles stats in 2025. With a win percentage of 81.81, the Brit has won 18 of his 22 matches compared to the Italian (17-5) this season. Coming onto the event history, Draper’s past experience at the Madrid Open has been forgettable at best. In the last two appearances (2022 and 2024), he failed to move past R32 and R64 respectively. Musetti’s performance has been almost similar. In his last three campaigns on the clay court in Madrid (2022, 2023, and 2024), he crashed out in R16, R64, and R64 again.

But what about their playing styles? Well, Draper’s a right-hander but prefers to play from his left hand in professional tennis. The Brit’s famously known for his baseline dominance using powerful serves. Combine that with a smooth on-court movement. In short, he can adjust swiftly between the net and the baseline. Plus, his left-handed serve, especially the sliced one, is solid when it comes to building pressure on the opponents.

On the other hand, Musetti likes to use his powerful one-handed backhand to dominate the rivals. But he’s someone who doesn’t rely too much on power and speed alone. He also prefers to capitalize his drop shots to earn crucial points during long rallies. Not to mention his impressive court coverage between the baseline and the net.

Now, considering the overall form of this season, the Brit appears to be the favorite against Musetti. Jack Draper is expected to win the semifinal on Friday in straight sets.