British men's No. 1 Jack Draper emerged victorious in the opening round of the Australian Open on Monday, edging Argentina's Mariano Navone in five sets.
Draper, who at times looked exhausted on court, had been in a race to be fit for this year's Grand Slam event in Melbourne after struggling with a hip injury that saw him withdraw from the season-opening United Cup event.
Monday's clash against Navone was Draper's first match of 2025. The Brit fought back to level the scores at 1-1 after Navone took the opening set. However, the Argentine won the third set and broke Draper back in the fourth.
However, Draper held his nerve and broke Navone again later in the fourth set before upping his game and racing to victory in the fifth-set decider, during which he hit two aces when serving for the match. It ended 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The Brit made his deepest major run of his young career in September when he reached the semifinals of the US Open.
He will face the winner of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Roman Safiullin in the next round.
- How to watch Australian Open in the UK
- Andy Murray on coaching Novak Djokovic
- Who are the top contenders at the 2025 Australian Open?
