Jack Draper booked a place in the French Open second round for the first time in his career, as he came from behind to beat Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2.
The Brit was shocked by his 23-year-old opponent in the first set as Bellucci played some spellbinding tennis to break Draper twice en route to a 5-1 lead – Draper broke back once but couldn’t stop Bellucci serving the set out at the second attempt.
Having struggled with his serve and hitting double faults in the first set, Draper emerged into the second composed and far more accurate – both with his serve and in rallies, coasting to a 6-1 victory in less than half an hour to get level.
The third set proved much tighter as Bellucci stuck into the contest and displayed more of his quality, but Draper held on to his early break of serve to keep his nerve and edge in front.
The fourth set looked like it was going to be much of the same at 2-2, but Draper kicked on from there to dominate the contest, taking charge of rallies and holding with confidence, ultimately breaking Bellucci twice en route to victory.
Draper will next face the winner of 38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils and Bolivian Hugo Dellien.
Draper had to come from a set down against exciting Italian Mattia Bellucci
Jack Draper said courtside following his victory…
“Bellucci came out and he played really aggressive from the start, he came out with some amazing shots. It caught me a little off guard.
“I served a couple of double faults which doesn’t help, and at this level everyone plays incredible tennis so the margins are so small.
“I’m really proud of the way I was able to turn the game on its head. I started to be more aggressive. It was a really tough battle and credit to Mattia.
“It’s more humid indoors and it doesn’t seem you can get the same speed out of the ball without the air outdoors, but I adapted and in the end it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and I finished pretty well.”
Britain’s Norrie stuns Medvedev in five-set epic
Draper’s fellow Brit Cam Norrie was also victorious and claimed a stunning 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5 victory over Daniil Medvedev.
Cam Norrie secured a sensational victory over 11th-seed Daniil Medvedev after a five-set epic
Norrie, who entered the tournament unseeded and was handed a tough draw first up in facing 11th-seed Medvedev, claimed a tight first set 7-5 after an hour of play.
Having shot out to a 4-0 second-set lead and with a frustrated Medvedev in danger of totally self-destructing, Norrie was able to ride the affect of being broken back once, eventually seeing out a 6-3 hold under pressure from Medvedev via a superb forehand winner.
The third set remained on serve, with Norrie passing up two break points at 3-3 before Medvedev earned the one and only crucial break to claim it 6-4.
The fourth set then began in less than ideal fashion for Norrie as Medvedev broke him for a 2-0 lead, storming on to a 6-1 win to force a fifth-set decider.
Medvedev struck for the first break early in the fifth, holding his nerve to get into a position to serve for the match at 5-4, but then falling 0-40 down as Norrie dug in – the Brit sealing the break to level at 5-5. Norrie then held and in Medvedev’s final service game before a potential tiebreak, Norrie broke him again to confirm a superb victory.
“I really felt I had the momentum there,” Norrie said courtside. “I felt like I had a lot of energy, and I was able to get over the line. It was a crazy match, he’s so tough to beat. I think I deserve a diploma for beating Medvedev, he’s got me the last four or five times. It was an unreal match.
“He raised his level [during the third and fourth sets] and I dropped my intensity and I was not able to hang with him. But I was able to find some energy in that fifth set. I was moving really well. I don’t remember too much.
“I was 5-4 down and then suddenly winning the match is crazy. It’s nice to get through the first round against Daniil, I really enjoyed the match start to finish. There was incredible tennis from both, so much fun.
“I’ve been getting better and better week by week. Playing lots of matches last week [at the Geneva Open], playing a match with Novak [Djokovic] at such high level, was the perfect preparation for me.”
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic beat Mackenzie McDonald 6-3 6-3 6-3, Alexander Zverev defeated Learner Tien 6-3 6-3 6-4, while Alex de Minaur beat Laslo Djere 6-3 6-4 7-6 (8-6).
Gauff through after forgetting rackets; Andreeva, Pegula also progress
On the women’s side of the draw, second-seed Coco Gauff forgot to bring her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a thumping 6-2 6-2 win over unseeded Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round.
The American former runner-up grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag as her entourage scampered to supply her with her equipment after discovering she had left the rackets in the changing rooms ahead of the midday clash, but she made up for the short delay by powering through.
Elsewhere, Mirra Andreeva beat Cristina Bucsa 6-4 6-3, the USA’s Jessica Pegula beat Anca Todoni 6-2 6-4, while Britain’s Sonay Kartal is also through after impressively defeating Erika Andreeva 6-0 6-2.
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