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. His opponent, Etcheverry, praised Draper's competitive spirit, saying, "He was playing unbelievable...
He is a great competitor, a great fighter." Draper, who has been working his way back from a left-arm injury that kept him sidelined since last August's US Open, is next scheduled to play at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid. Meanwhile, British No 1 Cameron Norrie secured a hard-fought three-set victory over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, winning 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4. Norrie, who will face American Ethan Quinn in the next round, acknowledged that he had to draw on his mental reserves to overcome physical struggles during the match.
In other news, Katie Boulter made a strong start at the Rouen Open, defeating Maria Timofeeva 6-2 6-2 to advance to the last 16.