British No 1 Jack Draper notched his first grass victory of the season with an impressive 6-3 6-1 win against Jenson Brooksby to cruise into the second round at Queen’s Club.
Draper, seeded second at this year’s HSBC Championships, is attempting to become only the second home men’s singles winner in the Open era after Andy Murray.
The 23-year-old got his grass-court season up and running by winning his first match on the court named after five-time champion Murray, with a confident performance against American Brooksby, before poking fun at his mentor, who retired last year.
“Can’t get rid of this guy,” he joked. “Andy is an unbelievable guy, someone I’m very inspired by and I wouldn’t be where I am without him.
“I definitely miss him on the Tour. Thank you Andy, this court deserves to be named after you.”
Draper narrowly avoided injuring himself when he chased down an overhead into the advertising hoardings on his first set point, but he dispatched the second with a clubbing forehand.
He then fired down an eighth ace of the contest on his first match point before celebrating a dominant win and writing ‘good to be home’ on a camera lens.
Draper will face Australian world No 21 Alexei Popyrin in the second round.
Boulter extends winning run at Nottingham Open
Katie Boulter set up an all-British showdown with Sonay Kartal at the Nottingham Open
Defending champion Katie Boulter extended her winning run at the Lexus Nottingham Open into a third year – and will now face fellow British star Sonay Kartal.
Boulter won her first WTA Tour title in the city two years ago before backing it up last year, and she began her quest for a third consecutive crown with an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.
Sun surprisingly reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, beating Emma Raducanu in the fourth round, but she has struggled to build on that and Boulter was in control from the start.
“I wasn’t feeling amazing coming into this match,” said Boulter, who put aside the disappointment of losing the British No 1 ranking to Raducanu.
“I felt like it’s been quite windy the last couple of days, just been trying to find my rhythm. Just stepping out onto this court, already I feel I’m right back at home. That’s a nice feeling to have.”
The 28-year-old, who hails from nearby Leicestershire, defeated close friend Jodie Burrage to win her first title in Nottingham and across the last two years has played six matches against compatriots at the event.
“I’ve played enough of them now,” said Boulter with a smile ahead of an intriguing contest against British No 3 Kartal.
“It’s just another match for me. I have so much respect for Sonay, she’s an incredible tennis player. I’ve always said to her she’s going to pass my ranking.
“I know how good she can be and dangerous. We actually played a really close match on grass quite a few years ago so I know it’s going to be an absolute battle.”
Kartal was also comfortable in her opening match, beating France’s Leolia Jeanjean 6-3 6-4, while an all-British first-round contest went the way of Fran Jones, who defeated Harriet Dart 7-5 6-4.
A strong showing from the home contingent, meanwhile, was completed by teenager Mimi Xu, who marked her WTA Tour debut by beating American Katie Volynets 6-3 6-3.
The 17-year-old, ranked 350, overcame a gap of more than 250 places and is making a strong case for a Wimbledon main draw wild card.
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
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