Draper makes fast start in Adelaide

Jack Draper earned his first win of the season in double-quick time on Monday when he cruised past Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-3 at the Adelaide International.

The British lefty, currently No. 62 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, hit aggressively throughout his 78-minute win against fifth seed Baez. He struck 17 winners and did not face a break point to improve to 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Jack Draper, stop that 🤯@jackdraper0 | @AdelaideTennis | #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/WAJKqEpYXF

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 8, 2024

Draper ended his 2023 season by reaching his first tour-level final in Sofia. The 22-year-old will aim to continue his fast start in 2024 when he takes on Miomir Kecmanovic, a 6-4, 6-1 winner against Mackenzie McDonald, in the second round at the ATP 250 hard-court event in Adelaide.

“I was very happy with my performance today,” said Draper. “It is not easy coming out in the first match of the year. I played here last year and am looking forward to going as far as I can this week.

“I feel really strong at the moment and really happy with my body and my game. Hopefully I can continue to play injury free.”

Dusan Lajovic and Alexander Shevchenko also advanced to the second round on Monday, when both secured hard-fought three-set victories.

The World No. 52 Lajovic edged hometown hero and 2022 Adelaide 2 champion Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on his event debut. Lajovic converted four of nine break points he earned and fired 40 winners past wild card Kokkinakis, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 33-year-old Serbian's next test will be a second-round clash with seventh seed Jiri Lehecka or qualifier Adam Walton.

Shevchenko downed sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-5 to kick-start his 2024 season. The 23-year-old, who finished 2023 at a career-high No. 48 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will take on Arthur Rinderknech or Christopher O'Connell next.