Australian Open 2025 results: Jack Draper draws against Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne fourth round

British number one Jack Draper ran out of steam at the Australian Open when he retired injured against Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round.

Draper, seeded 15th, stopped the match when trailing 7-5 6-1 against four-time major champion Alcaraz on a hot day in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old left-hander, who entered the tournament with a hip injury, needed off-court treatment after the first set before giving up the contest as the second quickly slipped away.

He held up both hands to the crowd in apology before walking from Rod Laver Arena to a warm ovation.

Draper, who came through three grueling five-set matches to reach the fourth round, was the only Briton to reach the last 16 of men’s singles or women’s singles.

“For how much I’ve played, I didn’t do great,” Draper said.

Prior to this Australian Open campaign, he had not played competitively since late October.

“I was really, really sore after I played my last game because I’ve been running this hip thing,” Draper said.

“I honestly didn’t expect to get this far. With all the hours I’ve been playing, it’s been a little too much on my body.”

Alcaraz, 21, was far from his best during their contest but continues his bid to become the youngest man in the Open era to complete the career Grand Slam.

The reigning back-to-back Wimbledon champion, who also won the 2022 US Open and 2024 French Open, will face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Serbia’s Djokovic, aiming for a record 11th men’s singles title in Australia, beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) later on Sunday.