Jack Draper won his opening match at Queen’s (Image: Getty)
Jack Draper made a winning return to home soil as he defeated Mariano Navone 6-3 6-2 to start his campaign at the Queen’s Club and extend his winning streak to six matches.
The world No. 31 dominated on serve in his first meeting with the Argentine, who is ranked two spots above him, getting the job done in 54 minutes.
Draper will now face top seed and reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz.
12 months ago, Draper was sidelined with a shoulder injury and forced to miss the entire British grass court season. But he returned to Queen’s this week fresh off the back of winning his maiden career title on the grass courts in Stuttgart.
And the British No. 1 picked up exactly where he left off in Germany as he stepped out to face Navone on Tuesday evening, immediately taking an early break lead. It was the Argentine’s first ever tour-level match on grass and his lack of experience on the surface showed.
Draper quickly secured the first set with another break, taking it 6-3 and dropping just four points on his serve in the 27-minute opener. Navone was in more trouble as he saved three break points in the fourth game of the second set.
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Jack Draper won his maiden title at last week’s Boss Open in Stuttgart (Image: Getty)
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But he couldn’t keep the top-ranked Brit at bay for long and Draper had another breakthrough, taking a 4-2 lead as he raced towards the second round. Navone barely won another point as the 22-year-old kicked into a second gear, breaking for the fourth and final time to get the job done in under an hour.
He didn’t drop a single point on serve in the second set and finished the match with six aces, continuing his strong serving from Stuttgart. The world No. 31 is now on a six-match winning streak after his title run in last week.
Jack Draper will now face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (Image: Getty)
And he faces his toughest test yet on the grass courts this season as he takes on Alcaraz in the second round on Thursday. The Spaniard has not lost a match on grass since 2022. Last year he swept the titles at Queen’s and Wimbledon, his second of three Grand Slam victories.
Alcaraz is looking forward to the chance to test himself against Draper given the Brit’s recent success on the surface. “It’s going to be a really good and interesting challenge for me,” the world No. 2 said of their prospective second-round encounter.
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