Britain’s Jack Draper continued his recent good form as he swept past Cem Ilkel
in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the Sofia Open.
Having knocked out tournament top seed Lorenzo Musetti in the last round, Draper never looked back after a blistering start to take a 3-0 lead over Turkey’s Ilkel in the opening set.
The world No 82, who won last week’s Challenger Tour event in Bergamo, did not face a single break point as he went on to complete a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory.
Draper, 21, will now face Jan-Lennard Struff for a place in the final. The German No 3 seed having earlier beaten Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 7-6 (3) 4-6 6-4.
Following his victory Draper said of his opponent: “I thought he (Ilkel) was a really solid player. It was difficult in the rallies, but I was strong and my ball speed was good.
“I was able to turn defence into attack today, so I am happy with the way I played.”
Jan-Lennard Struff will face Jack Draper in the semi-final on Friday
Draper’s match against Struff will be the first meeting between the pair on the ATP Tour.
“He is someone who has had an amazing season. He has won a lot of matches and plays really big games,” Draper said.
“It will be two big-hitters playing and hopefully it will be a really good match.”