Lexus Eastbourne Open 2026: Jack Draper beats Marcos Giron on injury return in Eastbourne
• 3 minute read
Former world No.4 Jack Draper enjoyed a winning return to action on the ATP Tour after securing a straight sets victory over lucky loser Marcos Giron at the Lexus Eastbourne Open.
Draper showed little signs of rustiness in his first round clash against the lucky loser, wrapping up the opening set in just 36 minutes before sealing an impressive 6-4, 7-6(5) victory.
It’s not been an easy 12 months for Draper, who was ranked inside the world’s top five this time last year. The former Indian Wells champion closed the curtains on his 2025 season in August, after picking up a shoulder injury at the US Open.
The 24-year-old bounced back during Great Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier against Norway where he beat Viktor Durasovic, before going on to make the quarter-finals at Indian Wells. However, his progress was halted once again after sustaining a knee injury at the Barcelona Open in April, leading him to miss the rest of the clay court swing.
Now, Draper is up and running on the grass, where he’ll be hoping to put the injury struggles behind him and build on today’s victory ahead of The Championships, Wimbledon next week.
“Incredibly excited to be back out here again,” Draper said in his post-match interview. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to play on the grass this year. It’s been an incredibly difficult year for me with certain physical bits but to be here is really special.
“I’ve not been here for four years now, so to play in front of you guys on home turf, making a comeback is a big deal for me so thank you.
“I thought the first set was a bit up and down and then I started to play some good tennis, lost concentration which can happen if you haven’t played in a while. Against good players like Marcos, they take advantage of that but (I’m) really happy with the way I came through in the end.”
Today’s match marked Draper’s 10th of the season so far, and his first with new coach Andy Murray in his box.
The former world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam champion has joined Draper’s coaching team for the summer, with the pair working hard during the Brit's time on the sidelines. Having fired up their partnership in winning fashion, the former British No.1 was full of praise for his new coach.
“Andy, truthfully, is one of my biggest inspirations. When I was younger I remember him playing all the big events and being there to watch him. As I came onto the tour we spent some time together and I think we have a great relationship off the court.
“He believes in my game, he believes in me as a person and I think that’s what I really need right now coming back from the year I've had."
Despite having not played a competitive match since April, Draper looked like he'd barely been away in his opener against Giron.
The former US Open semi-finalist was exceptionally impressive on serve - winning 76% of his service points across the match (45/59).
An opening presented itself at 5-4 where Draped piled the pressure onto the American, eventually sealing the late break as Giron doubled faulted to hand the set over to the Briton.
He picked up where he left off in the second, and went up another early break but this time, couldn't hang on to his lead as a lapse in concentration saw the world No.86 break to love to force a tie-break.
Draper recovered from 3-1 down and secured the decisive mini-break with a forehand winner to lead 6-5. Staring at match point for the first time since beating Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Indian Wells in March, Draper sent a forehand cross court winner to the baseline to take the win and kick-start a fresh chapter for the Brit.
Next up, Draper will take on a familiar face in fellow Brit and good friend Jack Pinnington Jones, who clinched his first win at Devonshire Park this afternoon - beating lucky loser in Marco Trungeliiti in a gruelling three-set battle.
Title Partner
Official Partners
