Jack Draper credits 'grit' and 'attitude' for superb Stefanos Tsitsipas comeback win in Cincinnati

Jack Draper moved into the third round of the Cincinnati Open in dramatic style, coming from a break down late in the third set to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas. The British No. 1 was pleased with his "grit, determination and attitude" on court as he refused to give up against the ninth-seeded Greek. He also described the courts in Cincinnati as the "fastest I have ever played on in my life."

Highlights: Zverev eases past Khachanov at Cincinnati Open

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British No. 1 Jack Draper was pleased with his "grit, determination and attitude" after he secured a superb comeback win at the Cincinnati Open to knock out ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek claimed the first set and was a break up in the third, but Draper finished with a determined flourish to break twice in a three-game run and win 3-6 6-4 7-5.

Tsitsipas was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third, but Draper fought back admirably and produced a superb winner on match point before punching his fists into the air in animated celebration.

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"I think Stefanos is a big presence on the court, last time we played was a couple of years ago," Draper told Sky Sports. "In these conditions it’s really difficult, the courts are insanely fast, I think they are the fastest courts I have ever played on in my life.

"The ball travels so fast through the court. It’s hard to play good tennis. The first hour I really struggled, I played a really poor game to start off and that just isn’t good enough against these top players.

"I think my grit, my determination and my attitude won that match today and I am very proud of that."

Draper requests cold water, later bemoans 'pretty poor' bottles with 'hot water'

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Next up for Draper is a third-round clash with seventh seed Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

And the 22-year-old admitted he is hoping for some cooler temperatures as the week goes on.

"Yesterday I struggled a bit, us Brits aren’t used to the heat," he said.

"It was quite mild in Montreal, the last time I had heat exposure was in Melbourne. I think once you get through that match then you start to relax a bit and learn from the experience of playing in that, and I was physically really good today and was happy with the way my energy was.

"Mentally I was ready to go again and I knew it would be a tough match."

Third seed Alexander Zverev also progressed, beating Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-2 to become the first player this season to win 50 tour-level matches.

The 2021 Cincinnati champion, who will face Pablo Carreno Busta next, hinted that he has one eye on the fourth and final major of the year, the US Open, which starts at the end of August.

"It has been a good year but I have had some very tough losses that I have had to take," Zverev said.

"It is about learning and improving and hopefully I can get back to a Grand Slam final and hopefully win it.”

There were also wins for seeds Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Ben Shelton and Holger Rune, but No. 8 seed Grigor Dimitrov crashed out to Fabian Moroszan in three sets.

Gauff dethroned by Putintseva

In the women’s draw, second seed and defending champion Coco Gauff suffered a shock exit at the hands of Yulia Putintseva.

The 29-year-old from Kazakhstan is making a name for herself as a giant-slayer, after knocking world No. 1 Iga Swiatek out of Wimbledon in her last tournament appearance.

Putintseva triumphed 6-4 2-6 6-4, winning the last four games in a row, to dethrone the champion and set up a third-round tie with Paula Badosa.

There was another big upset when Leylah Fernandez defeated fourth seed Elena Rybakina in three sets, winning 3-6 7-6(3) 6-4.

The Canadian found herself double match point down in the second set, but rallied to complete a remarkable comeback against the Wimbledon semi-finalist.

It was Rybakina’s first match since her run at the All England Club, as she subsequently pulled out of the Olympic Games and the Toronto Open with bronchitis.

Draper pays tribute to ‘inspiration’ Murray

Earlier, Draper reflected on his experience representing Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games - where British tennis legend Andy Murray made his farewell to the sport.

British No. 1 Draper was beaten by Taylor Fritz of the USA in the second round of the men’s singles at Roland-Garros, while Murray battled through to the quarter-finals alongside Dan Evans in an emotional and memorable final fling.

“lt was amazing. Andy's been such a role model and an inspiration for me throughout the years,” Draper said.

“I think to be at his last event was incredible. Obviously, what he's done for the sport and done for British tennis, hopefully I can take it forward from here.

Murray 'happy and proud' to finish career with 'exciting run' in doubles with Evans

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“To be a part of the team and to be at his last event, having watched when he was younger, what he's achieved and stuff, that was really special and a real honour for me.

“Hopefully, he's going to stick around and not be a stranger. He'll still be around and give advice and be a good friend.”

Catch up on every moment of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on discovery+

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