Jack Draper's clay-court season got off to a disappointing start as he was forced to retire due to an injury in the decisive third set of his first-round match against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open. Draper had won the first set 6-3 but struggled with his movement thereafter, requiring medical attention and taping below his right knee.
Despite his efforts, he was broken twice in the third set and trailed 4-1 before withdrawing from the match. His opponent, Etcheverry, who had recently taken world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in Monte Carlo, praised Draper as a 'great competitor' and 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, where he was a finalist last year. 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 won 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4, and will face American Ethan Quinn in the next round. In other news, Katie Boulter advanced to the last 16 of the Rouen Open with a dominant 6-2 6-2 victory over Maria Timofeeva, keeping her hopes alive for a first clay-court title.