Draper cruises at Queen’s after ‘really heavy fall’ in practice

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz and British No. 1 Jack Draper, who defeated American Jenson Brooksby, 6-3, 6-1, to advance to the last 16 at Queen’s, made it easy for the Brits.

Spanish world number two Alcaraz was well pushed by tenacious loser Adam Walton, who ultimately won 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

In a second meeting this year, Draper defeated Brooksby, 24, in Indian Wells in March.

In the first set, Draper had to go 4-1 up again, but this time, he broke Brooksby’s serve in the seventh game before taking the double break to tie the set.

When Draper and Brooksby entered the Andy Murray Arena, it was once more sweltering, and the weather was 26C. However, adding a gentle breeze would have made things more palatable for the players.

However, Draper was hesitant to spend too much time on the court.

After a pause in play for a medical issue in the stands, he broke Brooksby for a second break and won the game.

After finishing his television series, Draper will next face Australian Alexei Popyrin for a spot in the quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old hopes to win at Queen’s Club in the same way Murray did. This year, Murray won the venue’s center court in honor of his five-time singles title.

Draper made a joke about playing in the Andy Murray Arena, saying, “Can’t get rid of this guy. “Andy is a fantastic guy, a person I admire a lot, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him,” he said.

I’m terribly missing him on the tour. Thank you, Andy, this court deserves to be named in your honor.

Billy Harris, Draper’s compatriot, lost to Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-1, 3 3-6, 6-4, in the quarter-finals last year.

Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, both of whom were in other theaters on Tuesday, both experienced shocks.

Third seed Fritz won the Stuttgart Open, but Corentin Moutet of France’s qualifier lost to him 7-6 (9-7) 7-5. Lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech of France stunned sixth seed Shelton 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4)

After defeating Camilo Ugo Carabelli from Argentina 7-6 (8-6) 6-4, Rinderknech will next face Reilly Opelka of the United States.

The signs of rust were present in this match, which included a two-year absence due to injury and suspension after missing three anti-doping tests. Brooksby only made a second professional appearance in January.

However, Draper did a remarkable job, making some errors in the first few games and putting on a commanding display that suggests he can succeed.

After getting his first break, Draper quickly avoided injury by crashing into the advertising rigs on his first set point, which he did, before sealing it on the third.

After being unsurprisingly defeated by Alexander Bublik in the French Open fourth round, he received the result he needed on his return to competitive action. He only lost four games overall.

Following the game, Draper revealed that he had fallen during Queen’s practice and was suffering from an injury scare.

He said, “I was training on the courts here, and I fell incredibly hard.”

Top seed Alcaraz, a former champion at Queen’s, arrived on the court after Draper’s victory after having only just learned about his opening-round opponent.

The former world number one was scheduled to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but he withdrew due to illness on Tuesday, so acquiescent loser Walton was called up for his main-draw debut.

Alcaraz’s inability to prepare for the player he would encounter, combined with Walton’s desire to impress, may have contributed to a surprisingly close first set of games.

Alcaraz’ lengthy seventh game was finally won by Walton when the Australian fired a shot into the net to give the Spaniard the break he needed.

Alcaraz capitalized on Walton’s lack of confidence to earn a second break and win the opener.

Walton bounced back from that disappointment and led Alcaraz in the second set flawlessly, but the five-time Grand Slam champion saved two set points before winning the tie-break.

Alcaraz took a break in Ibiza between the two tournaments, winning his first match since his epic five-set triumph over Jannik Sinner in the French Open final earlier this month.