Jack Draper Rallies to Defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas at Cincinnati Open
British number one Jack Draper delivered a remarkable comeback to overcome world number 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas and advance to the third round of the Cincinnati Open, The Independent reported. Tsitsipas, who made critical breaks and managed shot-clock violations, initially led, securing the first set 3-6. Despite being 5-4 up in the decisive set, Tsitsipas couldn't maintain his advantage as Draper surged, winning 12 of the final 17 points to clinch a 3-6 6-4 7-5 victory.
"In general, my grit, determination, and attitude won me the game today, so I am very proud of that," Draper, ranked 28th, said during his on-court interview, broadcast by Sky Sports. "In these conditions, it is really difficult; the courts are insanely fast, the fastest I think I have ever played in my life," he added.
The 22-year-old Brit will face the winner between Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud and Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round, with their match delayed due to inclement weather.
Other matches in the men’s event saw world number four Alexander Zverev defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-2, while sixth seed Andrey Rublev eliminated China's Zhizhen Zhang 6-4 6-3. Hubert Hurkacz overcame a code-violating Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-1, and Holger Rune battled to a 6-3 7-6 (8) win against Nuno Borges. American Ben Shelton thrilled the local fans by edging out Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (6) 7-6 (7) 6-3, whereas Grigor Dimitrov unexpectedly fell to Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, 4-6 6-4 6-3.
In women's action, defending champion Coco Gauff was upset by Kazakh world number 34 Yulia Putintseva, who triumphed 6-4 2-6 6-4 in the opening match, causing Gauff to relinquish her world number two ranking to Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka, securing the spot, defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 6-4. Leylah Fernandez, down two match points, upset fourth seed Elena Rybakina 3-6 7-6 (3) 6-4, and 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva soundly defeated veteran Karolina Pliskova 6-2 6-3.
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