He is the first British man to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows since Andy Murray lifted the title in 2012.
Draper, whose previous best performance at a Major was the fourth round, dispatched the Australian 6-3 7-5 6-2 on what was his debut appearance on the Arthur Ashe Court.
He has not dropped a set in New York and his run here is echoing another British success story when Emma Raducanu shocked the world by winning the women’s title in 2021.
It is also a welcome boost for the game in the UK following Murray’s recent retirement.
After claiming the second set against De Minaur, Draper became the first player to go 14-0 sets in the main US Open draw since Raducanu.
He has taken advantage of Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit – the Spaniard was his slated opponent in the third round before crashing out – and swept all that have come before him aside.
“This is not kind of like an overnight thing for me,” he said. “I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things, and I knew that my time would come.
“I didn’t know when it would be, but hopefully from here I can do a lot of amazing things. I’m very proud of myself.
“It’s amazing. On the biggest court in the world, it’s a dream come true for me.
“I’ve got amazing people around me, I’ve got a good team. I don’t feel kind of overawed by the situations I’ve been in. It’s not getting to me in any sort of way.”
Draper now faces the biggest test of his career against the world’s leading player, Sinner.
