- Draper led Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 when the Argentine retired through injury
- British No 1 and Jack Pinnington Jones helped make it 10 British first round wins
- Draper will play Marin Cilic, the 36-year-old who lost the 2017 final, in next round
It was a day of the Jacks at Wimbledon as British hopeful Jack Draper eased into the second round — and was followed by good pal and debutant Jack Pinnington Jones.
The pair, alongside Dan Evans, made it 10 British wins in the first round and seven men into the next stage for the first time since 1997 on a day when big seeds fell in both the men’s and women’s draws, including Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev.
And Draper, the fourth seed leading the British charge, insists he is not fazed. ‘I play every match like my life depends on it,’ said the 23-year-old after beating Sebastian Baez.
‘All the stuff around (pressure), I haven’t really thought of. I was aware of the build-up. But my preparation has been really good. I feel confident. So I’m not thinking too much about that. Focus on the things that I can control.’
Draper’s Argentine opponent Baez retired hurt in the third set at 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 but the Londoner was already too hot to handle in the heat of Court No 1, serving with authority and playing his groundstrokes with growing confidence.
He then watched his friend Pinnington Jones, 22, beat Tomas Etcheverry and added: ‘Jack is a really good friend of mine. We live pretty close to each other. I have spent a lot of time around him, at his house chilling. He is incredibly talented. He is, in my opinion, going to be a top-100 player. It’s really exciting for British tennis because there’s a lot of these players coming out of uni who have the level. I’m really proud of him.’
Jack Draper has promised to ‘play every game like my life depends on it’ after winning his first round-match at Wimbledon
The British No 1 breezed through to the second round, beating Sebastian Baez when his opponent retired through injury
It was a day for the Jacks, with Draper followed into round two by good pal and debutant Jack Pinnington Jones
Draper will now play veteran Croatian Marin Cilic, the 36-year-old who lost the 2017 final to Roger Federer, in the next round. He is hoping to go better than last year, when he crashed out to Cam Norrie in the second round.
‘The loss to Cam really hurt me last year,’ added Draper. ‘I definitely look back a year on and feel a lot calmer in myself. More confident in my ability and my ability not only to play but to problem-solve. I took from that that I needed to be mentally better.’
But it was a chastening day for Britain’s women at as Heather Watson, Fran Jones and Jodie Burrage all crashed out in round one. Both Watson and Jones cruised through the first set to take the lead only to fall apart from there and lose 2-1 as their opponents seized control.
That means Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and lesser-known but talented Sonay Kartal are the only women left standing to fly the British flag in the second round today.
