Draper earns career-first win at Roland-Garros with victory over Bellucci

Jack Draper overcame a sluggish start to defeat Italian Mattia Bellucci 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and record the first win of his career at Roland-Garros.

Despite achieving numerous significant milestones over the past twelve months, the fifth seed had yet to win a match at the second Grand Slam of the year in his previous two appearances.

However, after a season in which he has already won a maiden 1000-level title and reached his first final on clay in Madrid, Draper is now a different proposition to the player who exited so painfully in the first round in Paris last spring.

Bellucci tested his early on, however, as Draper got off to a slow start. Heavy conditions and a talented left-hander gave Draper much to think about as slumped to a one-set deficit before clicking into gear to find some of scintillating best shotmaking.

The final three sets were an exhibition of the Briton’s superb groundstrokes, with both his serve and forehand operating somewhere near maximum capacity to overwhelm his Italian opponent.

He will the winner of the match between home hero Gael Monfils and Hugo Dellien next.

Paris (Grand Slam), other first-round results (Roland-Garros, clay, EUR 56.352.000, most recent results first):

• Gael Monfils vs. Hugo Dellien
• Hubert Hurkacz vs. Joao Fonseca: tuesday
• Corentin Moutet vs. Clement Tabur: tuesday
• Flavio Cobolli beat Marin Cilic (LL): 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
• Matteo Arnaldi vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime: tuesday
• Andrey Rublev (17) beat Lloyd Harris (Q): 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
• Novak Djokovic (6) beat Mackenzie McDonald: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
• Henrique Rocha (Q) beat Nikoloz Basilashvili (Q): 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 (9), 2-6, 6-2
• Pierre-Hugues Herbert (WC) beat Benjamin Bonzi: 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
• Adam Walton beat Maximilian Marterer (Q): 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
• Jakub Mensik (19) beat Alexandre Muller: 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3
• Jesper De Jong beat Francesco Passaro: 3-6, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-1
• Alexander Zverev (3) beat Learner Tien: 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
• Alexander Bublik beat James Duckworth: 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
• Ethan Quinn (Q) beat Grigor Dimitrov (16): 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 ret.
• Federico Agustin Gomez (LL) beat Aleksandar Kovacevic: 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
• Cameron Norrie beat Daniil Medvedev (11): 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5
• Alexander Shevchenko (LL) beat Dusan Lajovic: 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• Alex De Minaur (9) beat Laslo Djere: 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6)
• Jannik Sinner (1) beat Arthur Rinderknech: 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
• Tallon Griekspoor beat Marcos Giron: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
• Jaume Munar beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli: 6-4, 6-1, 7-5
• Ugo Humbert (22) beat Christopher O’Connell: 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
• Filip Misolic (Q) beat Yunchaokete Bu: 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-1
• Arthur Fils (14) beat Nicolas Jarry: 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3
• Denis Shapovalov (27) beat Pedro Martinez Portero: 6-2, 6-0, 6-3
• Richard Gasquet (WC) beat Terence Atmane (WC): 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
• Sebastian Ofner beat Jan-Lennard Struff: 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2
• Gabriel Diallo beat Francisco Cerundolo (18): 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
• Jiri Lehecka beat Jordan Thompson: 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
• Karen Khachanov (24) beat Aleksandar Vukic: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
• Jacob Fearnley beat Stan Wawrinka (WC): 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-2
• Holger Rune (10) beat Roberto Bautista Agut: 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
• Stefanos Tsitsipas (20) beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry: 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
• Daniel Altmaier beat Taylor Fritz (4): 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (26) beat Pablo Llamas Ruiz (Q): 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3
• Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Giulio Zeppieri (Q): 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
• Hugo Gaston beat Ugo Blanchet (Q): 2-6, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Alexei Popyrin (25) beat Yoshihito Nishioka: 7-5, 6-4, 1-2 ret.
• Alejandro Tabilo beat Arthur Cazaux (WC): 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
• Casper Ruud (7) beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Q): 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
• Sebastian Korda (23) beat Luciano Darderi: 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
• Miomir Kecmanovic beat Sebastian Baez: 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
• Nuno Borges beat Kyrian Jacquet (Q): 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
• Quentin Halys beat Tomas Machac (21): 7-6 (4), 4-1 ret.
• Ben Shelton (13) beat Lorenzo Sonego: 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
• Jenson Brooksby beat Jaime Faria: 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
• Emilio Nava (WC) beat Botic van de Zandschulp: 6-2, 7-5, 7-5
• Matteo Gigante (Q) beat Benjamin Hassan (Q): 6-4, 6-2, 6-0
• Fabian Marozsan beat Luca Nardi: 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
• Frances Tiafoe (15) beat Roman Safiullin: 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
• Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Q) beat Alex Michelsen (32): 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
• Daniel Elahi Galan (LL) beat Valentin Royer (WC): 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 7-5
• Lorenzo Musetti (8) beat Yannick Hanfmann (Q): 7-5, 6-2, 6-0
• Vit Kopriva beat Thiago Monteiro: 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-1
• Damir Dzumhur beat Thiago Agustin Tirante (LL): 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
• Pablo Carreno Busta beat Francisco Comesana: 6-2, 7-6 (3), 7-5
• Reilly Opelka beat Rinky Hijikata: 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3)
• Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (31) beat Zizou Bergs: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-4
• Tommy Paul (12) beat Elmer Moller (LL): 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
• Hamad Medjedovic beat Kamil Majchrzak: 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
• Marton Fucsovics beat Tristan Schoolkate (WC): 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
• Mariano Navone beat Brandon Nakashima (28): 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2