Jack Draper vs Sebastian Baez – Wimbledon 2025: Live score and set-by-set updates as British No 1 and world No 4 starts his bid for glory

It’s still boiling in SW19 and Draper, not always one for climbing temperatures and humidity (cf. his US Open final versus Jannik Sinner) heads for the ice towel during the break.

Refreshed, he heads back onto court and fires an ace past his wide-stanced opponent. His next attempt flashes off Baez’s racquet and flies out to the crowd.

Draper is wasting no time on serve, zooming along to keep the match on his racquet. In just under two minutes, the game is his.

A second-serve ace gets Baez on the board, and the Argentine is off to the races, getting in the groove to force Draper to hit his returns long.

He wins the game to love, an incredible necessary confidence boost at this early stage.

After a cagey opening game, it takes much less energy for Draper to hold onto his serve against a tight-looking Baez.

The first round of applause goes up as Baez funks his backhand into the net to hand Draper his first point of the Championships.

While Draper looks to get ahead and seize the early break, some loose hitting sends a string of balls long, and sets the Argentine up for a steady hold…

But opening up his frame, Draper levels expansive forehands at Baez before hitting a final winner past him on the baseline to bring about deuce.

Although Baez threatens with the first advantage, a postage-stamp shot is fired off the Draper forehand which his opponent can only send into the net.

First time that I believe he walked into a Slam and thought “I could potentially win this”. No pressure at all.

It’s a huge weapon [his forehand]. This thing can become a real problem for his opponents. Maybe I’m most impressed with how he’s moving over the past year and that’s a big part of his rise to four in the world.

Here’s a stat for you, Jack Draper’s opponent tonight, Sebastian Baez, is one of only 12 players from a total of 128 that has yet to play a grasscourt match this season.

Bold preparation tactic, in fairness…

While Sebastian Baez is a fine player, there’s something unusual about the contrast between the heights of the two men. Draper stands at 6ft4, his Argentine opponent, 5ft7.

The pair have met twice before, with Draper getting the better of Baez on both occasions without dropping a set.

Baez also had a sticky grass-court record. On paper, Draper waltzes away with it. But if only events happened as expected…

Worth noting that Jack Draper has never been beyond the second round here at Wimbledon.

He lost to Cameron Norrie here in the second round last year but this 2025 event feels different after a massive 12 months.

Draper walks out onto court less so a prospect and more a genuine contender to win it all.

Pressure is a privilege, Jack…

The players are making their way out onto No 1 Court…

Recently Jack Draper received a Manchester United shirt from club legend Denis Irwin.

As a Manchester United fan this no doubt will be a memento that Draper will cherish.

But given how poorly his boyhood team fared last season… it’s perhaps best he paves his own way here at Wimbledon if he’s to have any hope of emulating Murray and winning the whole thing.

This is the first Wimbledon in two decades without Andy Murray playing and now the attention of British men is focused on Jack Draper.

But he is not so quick to forget the role Murray has played in his own rise…

He’s a huge inspiration for me. Watching him play Wimbledon and just the legacy he leaves behind, it’s massive.

I have obviously not had the chance to see him around loads. I have been looking back over old videos of him playing and I’m always very inspired by him.

I’m looking forward to seeing him. When I say watching Andy, I have drawn a lot of inspiration from watching him play.

I used to watch him on Sky Sports playing all the Grand Slams, obviously Wimbledon on the BBC, and just seeing the ups and downs of his matches and how he’s able to claw them back

He had competitive spirit and unbelievable craft on the court.

So whenever I watch him play, I’m reminded of the times I used to watch him and wanted to be a player myself. Watching him always inspires me the next day to want to improve even more.

That’s the mischievous opinion of Nick Kyrgios… who believes Emma Raducanu has Draper and Carlos Alcaraz fighting over her!

Petra Kvitova has been beaten by Emma Navarro and so Jack Draper will be next on court…

Imagine being a model AND one of the best sportspeople in your discipline in the world?

That is Jack Draper’s life.

Read more about having the best of both worlds right here…

It’s been a scorching hot day at Wimbledon but things are about to heat up even more with British No 1 Jack Draper due out on No 1 Court very, very soon.

Draper is last out on this court and the preceding match involving Petra Kvitova – involved in her final Wimbledon – and Emma Navarro is racing towards a conclusion.

Stay with me and my colleague Tamara Prenn here at SW19 for all the updates for Jack Draper’s first round match.