Jack Draper misses out on Dubai quarter-final spot after defeat to Arthur Rinderknech
• 2 minute read
Jack Draper’s return to ATP Tour action has come to an end after the British No.1 lost out to France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the second round at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Draper – who was competing in his first ATP Tour event since the US Open back in September – narrowly lost out on a spot in the quarter-finals, falling short to Rinderknech in a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 defeat in a close battle lasting nearly two and a half hours.
The tournament marked Draper's first ATP Tour event since he was forced to withdraw in his second round match against Zizou Bergs at the US Open.
Since then, the Briton has spent the last five months nursing an arm injury, but made his return to competitive tennis at the beginning of the month during Great Britain's Davis Cup qualifier against Norway where he secured a straight sets victory over Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-2.
That match-playing experience proved crucial to Draper's return to ATP Tour action, where the former world No.4 defeated Quentin Halys 7-6(8), 6-3 during his first round match in Dubai on Monday.
While Draper will be disappointed in missing out on a spot in the final eight, he can leave the tournament with an important win and vital match time under his belt heading into the ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells next week.
Speaking on how it felt to be back competing on the ATP Tour, Draper said, "It feels so good, honestly to be out here, competing in front of people.
“I suppose I've been craving the feeling of competing for a very long time. It felt normal, it felt like I was coming back to doing what I love, which is competing, having the adrenaline of winning and losing points.”
The British No.1 looked to be making his move over the world No.31 at 5-5 in the opening set, winning four consecutive points to take the Frenchman to deuce. However, he was unable to make his chances count as Rinderknech held firm before seizing his own opportunity in the following game to secure the set.
The former world No.4 managed to steady the ship in the second set and took control in the tie-break, striking a blistering forehand cross-court to open up a 4-2 lead before closing it out to level the match.
However, Rinderknech – who won 84% of points behind his first serve and struck 20 winners – regrouped in the decider and hunted down the decisive break in the third game before securing the win on his first match point.
Draper will now switch his focus to the ATP 1000 event at Indian Wells where he will arrive as defending champion.
Last year saw the British No.1 defeat the likes of Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune on his way to capturing his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown.
This year’s tournament at Indian Wells will take place between 4-15 March.
