Jack Draper's clay-court season got off to a disappointing start as he was forced to retire due to injury in the deciding set of his first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open. Draper had taken the first set 6-3 but struggled with his movement thereafter, requiring medical attention and taping below his right knee. However, he was unable to recover and eventually withdrew from the match, trailing 4-1 in the third set. Draper, who is ranked one place higher than Etcheverry in the ATP rankings, had shown promise in the first set but was clearly hindered by his knee issue from the start of the second set.
Etcheverry, who had recently pushed world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in Monte Carlo, took control and went on to win. "He's a great competitor and a fantastic fighter," Etcheverry said of Draper. "I hope he can recover soon and get back on tour because he's a player the tour likes to have around." Draper's injury setback comes as a blow, especially considering this was only his fourth tournament back on the ATP Tour since a left-arm injury kept him sidelined since last August's US Open.
He is next due to compete at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid from April 22. Meanwhile, British No 1 Cameron Norrie booked his place in the second round with a gruelling three-set win over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. Norrie won the opening set 6-4 but Wawrinka, who is in his final year on tour before retirement, took the second set to a tiebreak, forcing a deciding set. Norrie emerged victorious, securing a 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 win and setting up a second-round meeting with American Ethan Quinn.
"I wasn't feeling physically great today, so I had to dig deep mentally and find a way to win," Norrie said. In other news, Katie Boulter eased into the last 16 of the Rouen Open with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Maria Timofeeva. Boulter is targeting a strong run in Rouen, potentially aiming for her first clay-court title, after many top players opted to compete in Stuttgart instead.