British number one Jack Draper won the final three games in a row against ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a courageous three-set victory at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday.
Tsitsipas was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but Draper won 12 of the final 17 points to secure a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory and reach the third round.
“Stefanos has such a big presence and the court is so fast, it’s going to be hard to play good tennis,” Draper said. Sky Sports.
“We really struggled in the first hour… against top class players, it’s just not good enough.
“Overall, my grit, determination and attitude won me the match today and I’m very proud of that.”
Draper required a medical timeout in his first-round win over Jaume Munar but appeared to be moving freely in the early going.
Tsitsipas got the decisive break to lead 3-1 and, despite a shot-clock violation, the Greek, ranked 11th in the world, fended off several break points from Draper to close out the first set.
Draper got back on track for the second set, this time serving well and converting a break point opportunity after a Tsitsipas double fault in the 10th game to tie the match.
But the 22-year-old Tsitsipas soon found himself under pressure again, having three break points in the opening game of the deciding set, but Draper recovered to secure a crucial hold.
Tsitsipas looked to have secured a crucial break in the ninth game before being called for another time violation and a double fault to fall 0-40 behind before Draper levelled at 5-5.
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Draper came from a set down to knock out Tsitsipas
Draper, currently ranked 28th in the ATP rankings, kept the pressure on Tsitsipas and landed some impressive returns to seal another hard-earned victory.
Draper is 2-0 against Tsitsipas and will face the winner of the seventh seed. Casper Rood or Felix Auger-Aliassime With a shot at advancing to the quarterfinals.
The story of the tape
Alexander Zverev He defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 in his opening match to become the first player to win 50 tour-level matches this season.
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Highlights from Alexander Zverev vs Karen Khachanov
“I felt good on the court,” said Zverev, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2021. “I felt good in practice, so it was easier to go on the court. In Canada, even in the few matches I won, I wasn’t feeling good at all. I hope I’m getting better and better and playing good tennis.”
“We are very similar players. We are both tall and good baseline players. When we are playing together it’s all about form and who is better. I was the better player today and I’m happy to get a good win.”
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Yoshihito Nishioka received a game penalty after being warned multiple times by the referee to calm down during his match against Hubert Hurkacz.
Elsewhere, Hubert Hurkacz He defeated qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 after Nishioka lost his temper in the final set and hit the ball into the stands, resulting in a game penalty for a code violation.
7th in the world Andrey Rublev He defeated China’s Zhang Zhizhen 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16. Holger Rune He defeated Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (10-8).
American Ben Shelton He delighted the home crowd by beating Argentina’s Tomas Martin Echeverry 6-7 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.
However, Grigor Dimitrov suffered an unexpected defeat to Hungary. Fabian Marozsáncame from behind to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
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The US Open will be broadcast live exclusively on Sky Sports from 26 August to 8 September. Every court can be watched on the Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ apps and the red button.
What will be broadcast on Sky Sports Tennis?
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Find out all the ways you can watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA Tour
You can watch some of tennis’ biggest stars in action ahead of the US Open, the final Grand Slam of 2024. Live on Sky Sports They will compete throughout the hard court season.
- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – Until August 19th
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – Until August 19
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – August 18-24
- Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – August 18-24
- Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey (WTA 500) – August 19-24
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – August 26th to September 8th
You can watch the WTA Tour and ATP Tour throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. There’s no contract and you can cancel anytime.
