British No. 1 Jack Draper’s Australian Open campaign came to an early end on Sunday as he was forced to pulls from his fourth-round match against Spain’s third seed, Carlos Alcaraz.
Trailing 7-5, 6-1 on a scorching day in Melbourne, Draper’s injury woes proved too much to overcome.
The 23-year-old left-hander entered the match with a lingering hip injury and required treatment off the court after the first set.
Despite his efforts, Draper was unable to continue, ending the match at the conclusion of the second set.
As he left the court, Draper apologized to the crowd, receiving a warm ovation from the spectators inside Rod Laver Arena.
Carlos Alcaraz, who advanced to the quarter-finals, expressed his sympathy for Draper, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation.
“It is not the way I want to win,” said the 21-year-old, who remains on track to become the youngest man in Open Era history to complete a career Grand Slam.
“I’m happy to play another quarter-final here in Australia, but I am sad for Jack – he doesn’t deserve to be injured. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Draper had displayed remarkable resilience to reach the fourth round, surviving three grueling five-set matches.
His early exit in Melbourne marks a disappointing end to what was his best-ever performance at the Australian Open. He was the only British player to reach the round of 16 in either the men’s or women’s singles.
For Alcaraz, the win sets him up for a potential quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic, who is pursuing a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.
Djokovic, who already holds 24 Grand Slam singles titles, is set to face Czech Jiri Lehecka later in the day.
Despite not being at his best during the match, Alcaraz continues to pursue a historic career Grand Slam, with eyes on further glory in Melbourne.
