Jack Draper hit a significant milestone at Wimbledon with what appears likely to be the first of many grand slam victories.
The 20-year-old has shown this year that he is more than capable of building on his standout talent as a junior, rising more than 150 places in the rankings since taking a set off Novak Djokovic on his debut 12 months ago.
His game is particularly well suited to grass and he arrived at the All England Club as a top-100 player and a genuine danger to the rest of the field after reaching the semi-finals in Eastbourne.
Dominant 1⃣st @Wimbledon WIN for @jackdraper0 #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/R0fd8MsWxA
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 28, 2022
He drew another in-form player in Belgian Zizou Bergs, champion at the recent second-tier Challenger tournament in Ilkley, but Draper fought off three set points in the third set to claim a 6-4 6-4 7-6 (4) victory on Court 12.
The British number four is likely to get a bigger court assignment in the second round when he takes on Australian 19th seed Alex De Minaur.
Draper’s big left-handed serve and forehand are his key weapons but his big-point mentality was just as important a factor here.
![Jack Draper delighted the Court 12 crowd](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/63f0bedf96d088c8ab3f138e1d586b6aY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU2NTIxMzM1/2.67642490.jpg?w=640)
He broke serve to lead 4-3 in the opening set after surviving a tight game of his own, and came through more pressure moments in the second.
The only disappointment for Draper was the service game he dropped in the third set when he had looked in total control that allowed Bergs back into the match.
The Belgian played his best tennis late in that set, creating three chances to win it, one with a Boris Becker-style diving volley winner, but Draper saved them all superbly.
And the Londoner then seized his opportunity in the tie-break to become the sixth British player through to the second round.
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