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. Despite taking the first set 6-3, Draper struggled with mobility issues and eventually withdrew from the match, trailing 4-1 in the third set. Draper, who is ranked higher than Etcheverry, had started strong but was hindered by a knee issue from the second set onwards.
Etcheverry praised Draper, saying, 'He was playing unbelievably... He's a great competitor, a great fighter.' This was only Draper's fourth tournament back on the ATP Tour since recovering 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 secured a spot in the second round with a grueling three-set win over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
Norrie emerged victorious, 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4, and will face American Ethan Quinn in the next round. Norrie admitted to not feeling well physically but managed to dig deep mentally to secure the win.
In other news, Katie Boulter advanced to the last 16 of the Rouen Open with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Maria Timofeeva.