British Next Gen player Jack Draper cruised past US Jenson Brooksby 6-1 6-2 after 62 minutes with two breaks in each set at the European Open in boosting his chances to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milano. He is currently fifth in the ATP Race to Milan with 945 points, 43 points ahead of Brandon Nakashima.
Draper has extended his lead to 2-0 in his head-to-head matches against Brooksby. The young British player set up a second match against Hubert Hurkacz.
Draper has played his first match since the US Open. He reached the semifinal in Eastbourne and the quarter finals at the Masters 1000 in Montreal and in Winston Salem
“On my service game I was hitting my spots really well. I wasn’t missing many returns as well. Jenson is someone who competes really well, so I felt that it was important to get on the front foot and not let him play his game because he is so awkward. I am glad with the way I played”, said Draper. Dan Evans broke once in each set in his 6-3 6-4 win over Tallon Griekspoor setting up a second round match against either Constant Lestienne or Jesper De Jong.
