Draper beaten in Cincinnati first round after blowing second-set lead

Jack Draper lost 6-3 7-5 to Martin Landaluce in the first round of the Cincinnati Open after blowing six set-point chances to level the match.

Little more than a week on from a first-round defeat in Montreal on his return from injury, Draper was once more unable to maintain a consistent level as he succumbed to the Spaniard.

After being broken in the first game of the match on his way to losing the first set, Draper looked set to level when he went 5-2 up in the second having secured a double-break.

However, he would fail to take six set points spread across the next three games as Landaluce broke twice to level at 5-5.

Draper saved a match point for Landaluce before bringing up a chance of his own to force a tie break, but he was denied before his opponent closed out the match in just short of two hours.

The 24-year-old appeared extremely glum in the closing stages, but at least appeared to finish the match without any major fitness issues.

During his defeat to Terence Atmane in Montreal, the power of Draper’s shots notably dropped off in the third set, while he was also in tears during the changeover.

The circumstances in Montreal suggested Draper had reaggravated the left-arm injury that has plagued him since June 2025, at which point he had reached a career-high world ranking of fourth, but a swift return to the practice courts in Cincinnati calmed concern over his physical state.

While only Draper and his team know his true physical condition, it is clear that he is struggling to find anything like his best form, with the final major of the year – the US Open – starting in New York on August 30.

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