By British No. 1 Jack Draper pulled off a remarkable victory against ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday. Draper overcame a challenging start, rallying from a set down to secure a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win and advance to the third round.
Tsitsipas, who was serving for the match at 5-4 in the final set, seemed poised for victory. However, Draper showed incredible resilience, winning 12 of the last 17 points to turn the match in his favor. Reflecting on his performance, Draper admitted he struggled initially against the fast-paced court and the presence of Tsitsipas. However, he credited his determination and positive attitude for ultimately securing the win.
Despite needing a medical timeout during his first-round match against Jaume Munar, Draper appeared to move freely during the contest. Tsitsipas broke early in the first set, maintaining his lead to claim the opener 6-3. However, Draper regrouped in the second set, capitalizing on a double fault by Tsitsipas to break in the 10th game and level the match.
The final set was a rollercoaster, with Draper fending off multiple break points before Tsitsipas broke to lead 5-4. But a combination of a time violation and a double fault allowed Draper to break back and level at 5-5. Draper then held serve and produced a superb return to clinch the victory, improving his record to 2-0 against Tsitsipas.
Draper, currently ranked 28th in the ATP standings, will next face the winner of the match between seventh seed Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the quarter-finals.
In other matches, Alexander Zverev secured his 50th tour-level win of the season by defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2. Zverev, who won the Cincinnati Open in 2021, expressed confidence in his form and hoped to continue playing well.
Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz overcame Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 in a match marked by Nishioka’s frustration, which led to a game penalty. Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, and American Ben Shelton also advanced to the last 16, while Grigor Dimitrov suffered an unexpected defeat to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, who came from behind to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
