Jack Draper’s Cincinnati comeback ends in first-round defeat

MASON: Jack Draper’s difficult comeback suffered another setback as the injury-hit Briton was beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Spain’s Martin Landaluce in the first round of the Cincinnati Open here at Lindner Family Tennis Center on Thursday.

Draper reached a career-high ranking of world number four in 2025 but has struggled with injuries since then.

A bone injury in his arm forced him to cut his season short, while a knee problem further disrupted his campaign this year.

The 24-year-old returned to competitive action at the Canadian Open after withdrawing from Wimbledon in June.

However, his comeback began with a first-round defeat by Terence Atmane, during which Draper broke down in tears.

Against Landaluce, Draper appeared on course to force a deciding set after taking a 5-2 lead in the second. But the Spaniard responded strongly, winning five consecutive games to complete the victory.

“The way I'm usually able to fight for every ball and conduct myself, it's just missing,” Draper said.

Draper is now ranked 143rd in the world, and consecutive early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati mean he will likely have to come through qualifying at the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals in 2024.

Reflecting on his struggles, Draper acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead.

“The level of my fall almost from where I was last year and the amount of things that I'm having to change in my tennis ... The mountain seems very, very big,” the Briton said.

The US Open begins on August 30th.