Draper battles hard to earn last 16 spot at Italian Open

Britain’s No 1 Jack Draper defeated Vit Kopriva in straight sets to progress to the round of 16 in the Italian Open.

The 23-year-old, playing in his 100th tour-level game, overcame a brilliant performance from qualifier Kopriva, winning 6-4 6-3, and will now meet France’s Corentin Moutet in the next round.

The Czech made Draper fight for his victory, with the Brit lashing out in frustration and smashing his racket in the second set after missing four break points.

However, a determined Draper continued to play aggressively, as he did in the first set, coming out on top after holding serve throughout and breaking his opponent three times.

“It was a tough match, especially against a guy who is a bit unknown, but he’s won a lot of matches here,” Draper said on Sky Sports Tennis.

“I felt a bit low on energy, my feet weren’t working as well as I wanted them to, but I tried to fight hard and find a way.”

Draper won only three of the 13 break-point opportunities he had been offered by Kopriva, which saw the battle go on for an hour and 41 minutes.

“The frustration boiled out a bit too much in the end, but I stayed at it and came through,” Draper added.

“I’m human, we don’t always wake up feeling great. I get out of bed and I feel so angry some days, but I’ve got to play a tennis match and I’ve got to go through those ups and downs too.

“I’ve played a lot of tennis and lots of matches, and I’m getting used to that, my ranking is going up and I’m getting to compete week in, week out, and it’s taking some getting used to from a mental and physical perspective.

“I want to keep going, but sometimes it’s difficult to always be perfect.

“The more I’m playing, the more my confidence is building.

“I look up to him [Corentin Moutet]. I played with him when I was younger. He brings a lot to tennis. Whenever I watch him, it’s interesting. I look forward to that battle.”

Tale of the Tape

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