Draper's Clay-Court Season Off to a Disappointing Start with Injury Retirement in Barcelona

Jack Draper's clay-court campaign got off to a dismal start as he was forced to retire due to injury in the deciding set of his Barcelona Open first-round match against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Draper had started strongly, taking the first set 6-3, but his movement was hindered from the start of the second set, with Etcheverry eventually taking control. Despite being ranked higher than his opponent, Draper struggled with a knee issue and was broken twice in the third set before withdrawing from the match. Etcheverry, who had recently pushed world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in Monte Carlo, praised Draper as a 'great competitor' and 'fighter.' Draper, who has been sidelined since last August's US Open due to a left-arm injury, had been making his fourth tournament appearance since his return to the ATP Tour. He is scheduled to play in the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid from April 22. Meanwhile, British No 1 Cameron Norrie secured a hard-fought three-set victory over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka to advance to the second round. Norrie won 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4, with the deciding set featuring the only break of serve. He will face American Ethan Quinn in the next round. Katie Boulter also enjoyed a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Maria Timofeeva to reach the last 16 of the Rouen Open, targeting a strong run on the clay courts.