'I know I belong here' - Jack Draper stuns Lorenzo Sonego to win first ATP match on clay in Madrid, Dan Evans through
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Updated 01/05/2022 at 18:07 GMT
Jack Draper has enjoyed a quick rise up the ATP rankings after winning four tournaments in a row on the challenger tour this year. The world No. 127 was handed a wild card into the Madrid Open and has surprisingly got his first tour level win on clay. Draper, who reached the second round at the Miami Open in March, will play Rublev in the next round. Dan Evans is also through to round two.
Jack Draper of Great Britain celebrates after their victory in their round of 64 match against Lorenzo Sonego
Image credit: Getty Images
Jack Draper has won his first ever tour level match on clay, beating Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-3 to progress to the last-32 of the Madrid Open.
The Brit was handed a wild card into the draw for the Masters 1000 event and stunned the No. 27 seed with a straight sets victory in one hour and 38 minutes.
The reward for Draper, who has won four ATP challenger events this year, is a second round meeting with Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev.
"As a wild card here I sometimes feel a bit out of place," the 20-year-old told Amazon Prime Video afterwards.
"This is my first time at these tournaments so I know I belong here with my tennis, but it's something to win matches at this level. Really happy with my performance today.
"I'm really confident, the only thing I'd say a little bit with the clay, getting used to a new court, it's something which probably isn't my best surface.
"But I think I can improve a lot, and as you saw today, I think I can play decent on it too, so I look forward to the next round and I'm happy about today's win."
Ahead of playing Rublev, Draper said: "I look forward to that match. He's a great player and it's a good opportunity for me again. I just have to practise again, try and improve and use today to get confidence going into that match.
"Any small victory you've got to celebrate, I'll definitely celebrate tonight and focus again for my next round."
Draper got off to a confident start and went a break up in the fourth game.
The Italian broke back as the Brit was serving for the match, but Draper secured the all-important second break on his third set point when Sonego hit a backhand long.
There was only one break in the second set and it went the way of Draper. He went 3-1 up after the fourth game when Sonego produced another unforced error off his backhand before comfortably seeing out the victory.
EVANS EASES PAST DELBONIS
Dan Evans has also progressed to the second round with a comfortable 6-3 6-4 win over Federico Delbonis.
Evans will play either Jenson Brooksby or Roberto Bautista-Agut in the next round after the one hour, 37 minute victory against the world No. 36.
Evans broke Delbonis in his opening service game when the Argentine hit a backhand slice into the trams before holding his serve to go into a quick 3-0 lead. It was to be the only break in the set as the Brit took a first set lead in 45 minutes.
Delbonis gifted Evans a break in the third game of the second set when he hit a smash at the net long to move 2-1 up. Delbonis broke back to level at 3-3, but Evans would regain control when he hit a forehand out to move Evans to within a game of the match.
Evans served it out in style, sealing the match with an ace to progress to the second round for the second time in his career.
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