Cincinnati (AFP) – Jack Draper sunk deeper into despair on Thursday as the Briton blew six set points and produced a dozen double faults to fall to Martin Landaluce 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. But Draper’s disappointment was counter-balanced by inspired compatriot Cameron Norrie, who fought through difficult conditions against an unfamiliar opponent to survive into the second round.
Norrie, who came to the Midwest from a Montreal fourth round showing, made a successful switch of venue with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Croatia’s Dino Prizmic. Norrie booked a second-round meeting with top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who will be desperate to make amends after an opening match exit in Montreal. Norrie, who said he was not feeling 100%, had to battle for his first match win in Cincinnati since he reached the 2022 quarter-finals.
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“There were a lot of challenges,” the winner said. “It was a quick turnaround from Montreal. I couldn’t feel the ball and was a bit under the weather. He came out firing and I had to stay tough. I could see he was struggling with the conditions. There was one break in the third set, not much in there.” The number 37 said he will have to lift his game when he faces world number three Zverev, who has defeated him seven times without a loss at the Tour level. Germany’s reigning Roland Garros champion was runner-up at Wimbledon to Jannik Sinner, who is missing this final US Open tune-up along with the injured Carlos Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic, seeded third, is the major headliner and will be bidding to win the tournament for a fourth time.
– Distraught Draper – A week after Draper was brought to tears by his first-round exit in Montreal, the Briton’s game again melted away in sweltering, humid conditions. Draper, whose most recent injury has been bone bruising in his arm, has managed only 14 tour matches this season, missing Wimbledon with his array of physical problems. Spain’s 64th-ranked Landaluce won the opening set and saw off a major Draper offensive in the second. The Briton took a 5-2 lead but was unable to close out the set as he failed on six set points over two consecutive games, allowing his opponent to squeeze out victory in less than two hours.
Landaluce said that he lives for the big moments on court as he withstood 27 winners from Draper—who was burdened by nearly 50 unforced errors. “The important thing was to believe in my game and my shots. I can have some big misses but I don’t care. At the end I was making good shots,” the Spaniard said. “If I lose like that, I don’t care. Today I got the win and I’m very happy.” All 32 seeds in both the WTA and ATP draws enjoy first-round byes, leading to a paucity of high-profile early matches at an event which originally ran for seven days but is now lasting a bloated 12.
© 2024 AFP
