British player Jack Draper staged an impressive comeback, eliminating ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a thrilling three-set clash at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday. Draper rallied after losing the first set, securing the victory with scores of 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, and advancing to the third round.
Tsitsipas, who was serving for match point at 5-4 in the final set, appeared to be in control. However, Draper rose to the occasion, winning 12 of the last 17 points to clinch the match. Reflecting on his performance, Draper told Sky Sports: "Stefanos is a formidable opponent, and the quick court conditions made it difficult to play my best tennis. In the first hour, I struggled a lot... and that’s not enough against top players. But my determination and attitude helped me to win, and I’m proud of that."
Earlier in the tournament, Draper required medical time during his first-round match against Jaume Munar, but showed no signs of injury in his match against Tsitsipas. Although Tsitsipas took the first set after breaking Draper’s serve early, the Brit regrouped in the second set. His serve remained solid, and he capitalized on a double fault from Tsitsipas to break back and take the set 6-4.
In the final set, Tsitsipas seemed on his way to victory after breaking Draper’s serve in the ninth game. However, Draper immediately broke back, taking advantage of a time violation and another double fault from the Greek player. Draper then held serve and pressured Tsitsipas, eventually converting a perfect return to seal the win.
This victory improves Draper’s head-to-head record against Tsitsipas to 2-0. Draper, currently ranked 28th in the ATP rankings, will face seventh seed Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round as he continues his quest for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev became the first player to reach 50 tournament wins this season, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 in his opening match. Zverev, who won the Cincinnati title in 2021, expressed his satisfaction with his form, saying: "I felt good on the court today. The practice has been going well, and that translated into my performance. I hope my form continues to improve as the tournament goes on."
