Jack Draper seals impressive win over Borna Coric to set up mouthwatering Daniil Medvedev clash at Italian Open
By James Hilsum
Updated 09/05/2024 at 22:56 GMT+1
Jack Draper produced a performance of maturity to dispatch Borna Coric after an hour and 37 minutes of play. After a keenly contested opening set, the 22-year-old powered his way through the second in a mere 35 minutes. Draper's impressive service game ultimately proved decisive, and a match with Daniil Medvedev now awaits in round two of the Italian Open.
Watch highlights as Draper beats Coric at Italian Open
Video credit: SNTV
Jack Draper booked his place in the Italian Open second round with a 7-5 6-1 win over Borna Coric to set up a clash with defending champion Daniil Medvedev.
Draper had performed admirably on clay so far this calendar year after a quarter-final appearance in Munich, but struggled in the slower conditions at Monte Carlo with a first-round exit to Hubert Hurkacz.
With the slower conditions present in the Italian capital, he provided an ideal response to any fears about how he would perform.
The 22-year-old started well and only lost one point on serve as he progressed into a 3-2 lead, but let three break points slide as the Croatian followed that up with a hard-fought hold in a game which went to deuce four times.
The Brit was looking impenetrable on serve, taking another emphatic hold to love with Coric unable to find a reply.
He had won 20 out of a possible 21 points on his own serve after moving into a 5-4 lead, leaving Coric serving to prolong the set.
A tie-break appeared inevitable, but a topsy-turvy 12th game went in Draper’s favour when he capitalised on his second set point after an hour and two minutes of play.
Draper was a set and a break up at 2-0 following an arduous rally to begin set two, as Coric hit a long return to give the Brit a healthy advantage.
The second set was much more straightforward for Draper, breaking Coric once again to take a 4-0 lead.
He extended that lead to 5-0 with an impressive hold to 15, which he rounded off with a superb backhand to leave the Croatian serving to stay in the match.
- Osaka through to Italian Open third round after cruising past Kostyuk
- 'I found a way to win' - Nadal fights back to beat Bergs in tough Rome opener
- Osaka says 'relentless' Murray has 'affected every tennis kid worldwide'
Coric avoided the ignominy of being on the receiving end of a bagel, but it only prolonged the inevitable.
An ace set up three match points in the seventh game, and Coric had no answer to a superb backhand to seal a meeting with Medvedev.
Evans bows out to Fognini
Daniel Evans was knocked out in the first round of the Italian Open after a 6-4 3-6 6-2 defeat to Fabio Fognini.
Evans fought admirably to take the match into a decider, but this result means he has now won only three out of 14 matches in 2024 and lost each of his last four.
He made a nervy start as a double fault and two unforced errors handed Fognini the opening game.
An error-strewn start to the match saw Evans break back, but the 33-year-old was still waiting for his first hold at 2-1 down before the Italian increased that lead on his serve.
Evans finally claimed that first hold and followed up with a break to wipe out Fognini’s lead, with neither player looking particularly assured in the opening exchanges.Â
Fognini regained the lead with a sublime backhand drop shot to break Evans once again, much to the joy of the Italian crowd.
A beautiful lofted backhand ensured the former Italian No. 1 claimed a hard-fought hold at the end of gruelling eighth game, and Evans was left serving to prolong the first set.
He did that with an emphatic hold to love, but squandered an opportunity to get another break and allowed Fognini to draw first blood after 49 minutes.
Evans responded well with an early break to go 2-0 ahead amid the backdrop of a crowd fervently backing his opponent.
The Brit followed that up with another strong hold to extend his lead, as the service game of both players improved.
Evans had the advantage with Fognini on the ropes at 4-2 down, but the latter set up a break point with a stunning backhand.
However, it was Evans that prevailed and Fognini responded by holding to continue the set.
Evans would go onto take the second set after a third set point at 5-3 to set up an intriguing decider in the third.
It looked like the pendulum was swinging Fognini's way when he swatted away three Evans break points to move 2-1 up, before recovering from 40-15 down to take a 3-1 lead.
The match’s big flashpoint followed when Fognini sent a forehand wide, but chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani ruled it had gone in.
Seemingly buoyed by that injustice, Evans went onto break, only to surrender on his serve again at 4-2 down.
The Italian would go onto win the deciding set after a second match point and can now look forward to a second-round clash against Taylor Fritz.
- - -
Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 French Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement