Jack Draper beat Luciano Darderi in straight sets to reach the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.
He defeated the Italian in front of an enthusiastic home crowd 6-1 6-4.
Draper was impressive as he secured the first set in 25 minutes while only giving away one game.
He looked strong at the start of the second set too as he pressed for another break of serve in the second game, repeatedly dragging Darderi from advantage back to deuce. With an effort Darderi fought off the pressure and took confidence from that hold.
Emma Raducanu talks to Sky Sports Tennis about the continued rise of Draper following his Madrid Open final appearance against Casper Ruud
The crowd began to get behind him as he bellowed after scoring a point against Draper’s serve. He would send a spectacular forehand down the line to get to advantage in the third game of second set, revving up the crowd further.
Darderi piled on the pressure in the seventh game of the second set, with three break-point chances. But each time Draper rose to the moment and ultimately navigated himself through a tricky game.
The Italian continued to make the second set harder for Draper as he battled back into the match, growing more confident in baseline exchanges.
Draper miscued a shot to give away a break point in ninth game of the second set, but cut the ball down out of the air at full stretch to snuff out that danger. He then closed out the game with an ace.
Facing Darderi’s serve after that, he grabbed three match points. Darderi defended the first, but then surrendered the match with a double fault.
Highlights of Draper against Ruud in the final of the Madrid Open
“It was a dogfight [in the second set]. I think my concentration slipped a little bit, I started getting a little bit flat,” Draper told Sky Sports.
“Winning lots of matches this year helps you to feel comfortable in those moments.”
Also at the Italian Open on Friday, Carlos Alcaraz returned from a brief injury lay-off with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic.
Highlights of the Italian Open match between Carlos Alcaraz and Dusan Lajovic
The third-ranked Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open last month due to a leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final.
Against Lajovic, Alcaraz wore a long black brace that covered the upper portion of his right leg and stretched down to just below his knee.
“The body felt great,” Alcaraz said. “I just moved well. I made a few good sprints today without any pain.
“It was a test for me so I think I passed the test today.”
The tournament in Rome will also mark the return of top-ranked Jannik Sinner from a three-month doping ban. Sinner, who opens against 99th-ranked Mariano Navone on Saturday, and Alcaraz are in opposite sides of the draw.
Novak Djokovic had withdrawn from the Italian Open but will accept a wild card entry to the Geneva Open later this month as he looks to tune-up in a clay court event for the next major, the French Open. Djokovic, who hasn’t won a tournament since the Olympic Games last summer, will have turned 38 by the time the French Open begins.
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