By Tony Fairbairn
- Jack Draper def Nuno Borges 6-3 6-1
- Draper v Tallon Griekspoor [2] | H2H: First Meeting
WINSTON-SALEM, USA – Jack Draper reached the second round in Winston-Salem with a convincing victory over Nuno Borges and will now face second seed Tallon Griekspoor.
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Jack Draper def Nuno Borges 6-3 6-1
Jack Draper marked his return to the ATP tour with a convincing straight sets win over Nuno Borges in his Winston-Salem opener. After reaching the quarter-finals at the Winnipeg Challenger last week, Draper was looking to improve his confidence in North Carolina ahead of the US Open and made the perfect start in this match.
Draper’s powerful forehand dictated play on serve but the Brit initially struggled on return as Borges constructed effective patterns of play by using the angles on his forehand. The Portuguese player showed no signs of his recent lacklustre form as he produced efficient tennis on the counter-attack, neutralising Draper’s power.
After being frustrated in his opening few return games, Draper managed to find some consistency in the seventh game as he sealed a break to love with Borges producing a forehand unforced error. That break of serve elevated Draper’s confidence as he was lightening quick on his feet and continued to display heavy-hitting from all areas of the court. A Borges double fault sealed the set for Draper in 28 minutes as the Brit was now in firm control of the match.
A steady start to the second set was followed by more dominant play from Draper as the Brit continued to dictate the tempo of the set with Borges producing more passive play. Two consecutive breaks in the fourth and sixth games was evidence of Draper’s proactive aggression as he took a 5-1 lead. An impressive day at the office was sealed with a forehand down the line as Draper held to love to seal his place in the second round and secure his first ATP tour win in three months.
Jack Draper v Tallon Griekspoor [2] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jack Draper v Tallon Griekspoor [2] | H2H: First Meeting |
| ATP Winston-Salem 2023 | Winston-Salem, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $6,675 |
| Second on Court 2, not before 3:30pm (8:30pm BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
A tougher test awaits Draper in the second round when he takes on second seed and in-form Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor next.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Jack Draper (WR 118) | Tallon Griekspoor (WR 25) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Quarter-Final (2022) | R2 (2022) |
| 1st Serve % | 60.3 | 63.6 |
| Service Games Won % | 81.5 | 85.3 |
| Break Points Saved % | 69.2 | 63.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.3 | 44.5 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.2 | 39 |
Griekspoor has been more consistent on serve however Draper’s efficiency on break points this season gives him a good chance of winning this match.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Griekspoor has been in fine form over the last few months having reached the Washington final as well as having a great grass court season. However back-to-back defeats in Toronto and Cincinnati means the Dutchman will be determined to get back to winning ways ahead of the US Open.
Draper will look to continue to be dominant on serve as well as being efficient on return as he aims to use his forehand to force Griekspoor on the back foot. Meanwhile the Dutchman will look to keep up his consistency on serve as he looks to neutralise Draper’s power and quality with depth. This will be a good tactical test for Draper ahead of the US Open and will test where his game is at the moment. Despite Griekspoor’s fine form, Draper should win this match given the Dutchman may be cautious given the fact that the US Open is less than a week away.
Prediction: Draper in three sets.
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