Jack Draper on Monday returned to the ATP Tour after almost six months away with a 7-6 (10-8), 6-3 win over Quentin Halys in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Briton in August last year withdrew ahead of the second round of the US Open. His only match since then was a straight-sets victory over Norwegian Viktor Durasovic in the Davis Cup on Feb. 2.
“It feels so good to be out here competing in front of people,” said Draper, who had climbed to No. 4 in the world rankings in June last year and is now at No. 12.
Photo: EPA
“It could have been a little cleaner from my side, but I hadn’t played on the tour for a long time,” he said. “I’ve been craving the feeling of competing for a very long time. It just felt normal. It felt like I was coming back to doing what I love.”
Earlier, top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime needed six match points before dispatching Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
“I stopped counting at some point, it was getting too frustrating,” the Canadian said. “Having match points is the position you want to be in as a player, but it’s weird how the mind plays a trick on you. How much further I am from losing than he is, he should be the one that’s tight.”
Auger-Aliassime, the losing finalist in Dubai last season, has reached the final of his past two tournaments this season — winning in Montpellier, France, before losing in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
He was next due to face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, whose big serve saved him in two tiebreaks as he beat Tunisian Moez Echargui 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4) for a first tour win since reaching the quarter-finals in Auckland, New Zealand, last month.
The Frenchman hit 29 aces, including one on match point.
Stan Wawrinka continued his farewell tour by beating Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 6-3 with Swiss Davis Cup and Olympic teammate Roger Federer, who won the Dubai event eight times, in the stands.
It was Wawrinka’s 10th tour-level win since turning 40, a record in the Open era.
In the round-of -16 of the men’s doubles, Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan and Shang Juncheng of China rallied from a set down to defeat Hendrik Jebens of Germany and Taiwan’s Ray Ho 4-6, 6-4, 12-10.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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