Jack Draper's clay-court season got off to a disappointing start as he was forced to retire due to injury in the decisive third set of his first-round match against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open. Despite taking the first set 6-3, Draper struggled with mobility issues and was treated by a physio between sets.
However, his condition worsened, and he eventually withdrew from the match while trailing 4-1 in the third set. Draper, who is ranked higher than Etcheverry, had shown promise in the first set but was clearly hindered by his knee from the start of the second set, allowing Etcheverry to take control. Etcheverry praised Draper, saying, 'He was playing unbelievably...
He's a great competitor, a great fighter, and hopefully, he can recover soon to get back on tour.' This was Draper's fourth tournament since returning from a left-arm injury that kept him sidelined since last August's US Open. He is scheduled to play next at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid from April 22. Meanwhile, British No 1 Cameron Norrie overcame a grueling three-set match against three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, winning 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 to advance to the second round. Norrie, who will face American Ethan Quinn next, said, 'I was not feeling well physically, so I had to dig deep mentally.' In other news, Katie Boulter easily advanced to the last 16 of the Rouen Open with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Maria Timofeeva, bouncing back from her tight first-round defeat last week.