- Jack Draper defeated American Marcus Giron in five sets at the Australian Open
- The Brit won in the first round in Melbourne 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2
- Draper was sick in a box on the track immediately after the match
Jack Draper put in a huge physical effort to win his first ever five-set match – and promptly ran off the court to fall ill in a box next to the court after reaching match point.
The 21-year-old southpaw defeated American Marcos Giron 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2 in three hours and 20 minutes after battling in 30-degree temperatures at Melbourne Park.
He is in the second round and was waiting for the winner of the Frenchman Gregoiere Barrere and the American Tommy Paul.
Draper could hardly wait for the handshake at the net after winning his last four games while clearly feeling uncomfortable against a highly mobile grassroots opponent who had caused him plenty of problems along the way.
He had to call the physio after the second set and have his blood pressure checked, but then double-faulted and was broken in the third after the restart.
Jack Draper put in a tremendous physical effort to beat Marcos Giron 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2
The Brit then lay ill in a box on the right side, after the physical exertion took its toll
Draper looked clearly uncomfortable as the match ended and had to sit down to recover
Urged by his coaching team to keep the points short, he roared back in the fourth to make it 2-0 before being withdrawn again.
An impressive 6′ 5”, this was not a stellar serving display and he was fortunate that Giron lost his head slightly in the fourth, referring to the treatment Draper had received earlier.
The GB player has previously had questions about his endurance, but this time he answered them in extremely challenging conditions.
Earlier, Cam Norrie put any worries about his wrist to history as he comfortably got past Peru’s Juan Pablo Virallas 6-4 6-4 6-2 to reach the second round.
Draper was attended to by medics on the track as he was ill after his marathon race ended
Draper had to call in the physio after the second set and have his blood pressure measured
The No. 19 seed later said he was grateful for a start on Tuesday so he could properly prepare after withdrawing from Auckland last week with a sore left wrist.
He will now face Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri, who upset Serbian Dusan Lajovic. These warm conditions with heavy balls should suit Norrie well as he focuses on the second week.
