Jack Draper, the top-ranked British men’s player, struggled in the sweltering heat of Paris, concluding the nation’s pursuit in the Olympic singles competition.
The 22-year-old Draper fell to the American seventh seed, Taylor Fritz, with scores of 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 2-6 on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Despite a powerful and proactive beginning that earned him the first set, Draper failed to convert any of his six break points in the second set’s third game.
Fritz, 26, capitalized on Draper’s missed opportunities, which turned out to be crucial.
The lengthy rally in the fourth game appeared to drain Draper’s energy, highlighting his ongoing fitness challenges early in his career.
Ranked 26th in the world, Draper was broken in the sixth game, causing the match to spiral out of his control swiftly.
As the temperature soared above 30C, Draper’s groundstrokes lost precision and his serves lost power, allowing Fritz to clinch 10 of the following 13 games to advance to the last 16.
Meanwhile, there was a surprising twist as second-seed Coco Gauff from America suffered an unexpected defeat against Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the women’s singles second round.
At just 20 years old, Gauff was considered a strong contender for a medal at the venue where she reached the French Open final in 2022.
The reigning US Open champion lost 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 to Vekic, who recently reached the Wimbledon final, showcasing her impressive resurgence.
