British number one Jack Draper stepped up his Roland Garros preparations by
easing safely through to the third round against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor at the Madrid Open.
Draper, seeded fifth, bounced back from his disappointing defeat by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Monte Carlo with a 6-3 6-4 win.
The 23-year-old broke to lead 4-2 on his way to taking the first set in just over half an hour, and an early break put him in control of the second on his way to victory in an hour and 15 minutes. He will meet former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in round three.
Fellow Brits Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley are also through to the next round of the Madrid Open, Norrie with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Jiri Lehecka and Fearnley with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Tomas Machac.
Djokovic suffers another loss on hunt for 100th career title
Novak Djokovic lost to Matteo Arnaldi in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Saturday, extending the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s struggles on clay ahead of Roland Garros.
Highlights of Novak Djokovic’s match with Matteo Arnaldi in the second round of the Madrid Open
Arnaldi won 6-3, 6-4, delaying Djokovic’s search for a career 100th title. The Serb was undermined by 32 unforced errors.
“Kind of a new reality for me, I have to say.
“Trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament – it’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis.
“It’s a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in tournaments.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic has lost three matches in a row; the Miami final, and his opener to Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago.
Arnaldi will next face Damir Dzumhur after he rallied past Sebastian Baez 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Teenage star Andreeva again into last 16
Elsewhere, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached the last 16 for the third straight year by defeating Magdalena Frech 7-5, 6-3.
The 17-year-old Andreeva, ranked No. 7, has yet to lose before the Madrid fourth round.
Andreeva, who will turn 18 on Tuesday, will next face Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva, who defeated 18th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova in three sets.
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