by Andy Murray may be out of the Australian Open but his heir, Jack Draper, produced a display of class and Murray’s guts to reach the second round. At the end of a 3 hour 20 minute struggle in the brutal heat and humidity, an exhausted Draper went into a courtside bin.
This 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron felt like a huge moment in the context of Draper’s career. This is a 22-year-old man whose moderate fitness levels have long been his Achilles’ heel. Twelve months ago, he played Rafael Nadal in this tournament and started cramping as early as the third set.
But a winter of tireless effort with his new fitness trainer Steve Kotze has turned things around. Giron is one of the best specimens on the tour, a muscle-bound hero who plays in singles to show off his powerful biceps. And yet it was Draper who finished the strongest, winning 12 of the last 14 games.
While Kotze’s conditioning work prevented Draper’s body from breaking down, that didn’t stop him from feeling very ropey. These two did their off-season work in the UK, which may not have been the ideal situation. You can go into as many saunas as you want, but one way to get used to the hot weather is hot-weather tennis.
On what could be the tournament’s hottest day yet – considering the dramatic change predicted for Wednesday – Draper was clearly struggling with the conditions as early as the second set. The doctor came and took his blood pressure after 90 minutes or so, and he left the court at least twice.
Crucially, though, Draper’s muscles hadn’t gone limp. Although he may have been feeling dizzy and nauseous, he was still able to cover the court when he had to. Not that pitting him against Giron, a natural road runner, was the best choice. As the match progressed, Draper began to use his size and larger weaponry to impose himself on his more conservative opponent. He had little choice, given his general moodiness, and that may have helped him in the end.
The final set was a nervous period. The stands above Court Eight were made up mostly of British fans, who Draper applauded after each point as if this was one of the profound college links in the United States that Giron grew up playing . He needed all the extra vibes the crowd could provide, as he looked like a man on his last legs. After moving to 4-2 in the decision with a nice drop-shot/flight combination, he bent over and lay on the side of the court for a minute or so before he was able to continue.
The final rally was another epic one, but Draper sealed the deal with one of his trademark shots: the running forehand pass. In an echo of Murray’s famous comeback against Richard Gasquet in 2008, he will remember this victory – in his first ever five-set match – for the rest of his career.
Boulter into the second round
Katie Boulter beat Yuan Yue for her first Australian Open win in five years.
The British number one missed out on qualifying in Melbourne the previous two years but made rapid progress up the rankings in 2023 and was impressive in a 7-5 7-6 (1) win over the in-form Yuan.
The only step lost to Boulter, who was subject to a lot of attention as the big girl hope of Australia Alex De Minaur, was two match points that went to beg herself at 5-4 in the second set.
But she regrouped well and had the upper hand at the link for her second win at Melbourne Park.
It was a tight contest throughout but Boulter again showed she is a player for the big occasion, coming out on top in almost every key moment.
A break for 6-5 in the opening set allowed her to serve out, which she took in hot, cold conditions.
Yuan, who is ranked seven places lower than Boulter at 61 in the world, reached the semi-finals of the WTA Tour event in Hobart last week, and her opponent entered the tournament high on confidence after the win best of her career over Jessica Pegula. at the United Cup.
There was nothing to separate the pair in the second set until Boulter, who was under more pressure on her phone, broke to lead 5-4.
But his composure wavered at the wrong time, the 27-year-old serving a double fault on his first game point and then making a backhand error on the second as Yuan pulled back level.
She did not take advantage of the missed opportunities, however, winning the first five points of the tie break and taking her third match point to join fellow Brits Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper in the second round.
Norrie races past Varillas
Cameron Norrie played down injury concerns to ease into the second round of the Australian Open.
The British number one pulled out of the ASB Classic in Auckland, the city where he grew up, last week ahead of his quarter-final due to a left arm problem.
Norrie admitted he was worried about so little time to recover, but there was no reason to worry in a 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru to become the first British winner in a fortnight .
It was a kind draw for Norrie, although 81st-ranked Varillas pushed Alexander Zverev to five sets in the first round here last year before going on to make the fourth round of the French Open.
Norrie looked a little tentative at first but settled into a rhythm of long baseline rallies and finally took his sixth chance to break serve in the fifth game.
The 19th seed took complete control of the contest in the second set, finding more penetration on his groundstrokes and opening up a 5-1 lead.
Varillas fought back with three games in a row but Norrie served out at the second try and had no trouble in the third.
