By Tony Fairbairn
- Jack Draper [6] def Sebastian Ofner 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
- Marcos Giron def Andy Murray 6-3 6-4
- Draper v Giron | H2H: Draper leads 1-0
STUTTGART, GERMANY – Jack Draper is into the second round in Stuttgart after a tight straight sets win over Sebastian Ofner and will now face Marcos Giron after the American defeated Andy Murray.
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Jack Draper [6] def Sebastian Ofner 7-6(4) 7-6(5); Marcos Giron def Andy Murray 6-3 6-4
Jack Draper and Andy Murray had mixed fortunes in their opening round matches in Stuttgart. Starting with Draper, the sixth seed defeated Sebastian Ofner in two tiebreaks in a tight opening round contest. The Brit showed great movement on the grass early on as he was efficient on serve and produced winners from all areas of the court.
However Ofner was equally as efficient on serve as he was effective on serve, targeting Draper’s forehand in the longer rallies. As the set went on both players produced great anticipation skills and Draper’s serve was producing errors from Ofner in the big moments as he protected his second serve well.
The only break point of the set went to Draper only for the Austrian to serve efficiently to force a first set tiebreak. A tense opening set tiebreak went to Draper as he took the more risks as he won the tiebreak 7-4 to take the one set advantage.
In the second set, Draper continued the momentum as he created an early break point but to the Brit’s annoyance Ofner was continuing to produce big serves in big points. The Brit lacked concentration in the fifth game as he missed some timely first serves in big moments to get broken as Ofner took a 3-2 lead.
However a lack of recent form was telling for the Austrian as he was unable to close out the set, allowing Draper back into the match. The sixth seed broke back in the ninth game on his third break point to level the set at 5-5 and eventually force another tiebreak. Draper initially had a 4-1 lead but was too nervy on match points as Ofner came back into the tiebreak. The sixth seed converted his match point though as he secured his place in the second round.
Now Draper awaits Marcos Giron in the second round as the American knocked out Murray in straight sets. It was a positive start from Murray who gradually built his way into the match as he created break point in the third game after saving two break points in the second game. The American produced big serving and deep shots from the forehand as he dominated the baseline exchanges to survive the early pressure from the Brit.
The American was effective on the forehand return and created space easily on return as Giron broke in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. There was a no response for the rest of the set as Murray produced too many errors on return with Giron taking the opening set 6-3.
It was a similar story in the second set as Murray failed to convert two break points in the second set before conceding the break in the following game. As the set went on, Murray’s frustrations were evident as he failed to cause Giron’s consistent serving trouble as the American comfortably closed out the victory.
Murray is now expected to receive a wildcard for next week’s ATP 500 event at Queen’s Club.
Jack Draper [6] v Marcos Giron H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jack Draper [6] v Marcos Giron | H2H: Draper leads 1-0 |
| ATP Stuttgart 2024 | Stuttgart, Germany |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: €12,900 |
| Fourth on Center Court (Not before 15:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Draper and Giron’s previous meeting came at the Australian Open where the Brit came from two sets to one down to win in five sets.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2024)
| H2H: | Jack Draper (WR 40) | Marcos Giron (WR 54) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | R1 (2022, 2023) |
| 1st Serve % | 57.4 | 61.3 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.6 | 78.7 |
| Break Points Saved % | 57.4 | 58.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 51.6 | 49.4 |
| Break Points Converted % | 47 | 37.1 |
Draper will look to do a much better job than Murray did on return as he will need to use power and angles to move Giron into different positions in the court, making it as hard as possible for the American to play his game.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Giron hasn’t had the best season in terms of results but the American’s brutal power mixed with solid defence has seen him produce some decent performances this season. Now Giron will hope his win over Murray is a platform for better results this season as he looks to find his confidence on grass.
Draper will aim to be efficient on return as he will use the forehand to find depth and will look for the backhand in order to finish the point. Meanwhile Giron will aim to frustrate Draper with consistent serving and deep, powerful forehands. This will be a tough test for Draper but as long as the Brit can minimize the lapses in concentration then the Brit should edge out another grass court test that will act as good preparation for Wimbledon
Prediction: Draper in three sets.
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