This time, although, Draper made it on to court docket, showing initially nervous – however with out the compression sleeve that supported him via current appearances.
He was smiling by the third sport, when he learn a tough Atmane serve nicely and pulled off an unlikely winner to please the group and degree the rating to deuce.
Having failed to interrupt Atmane because the Frenchman received the primary set 6-3, Draper started to indicate glimpses of the glittering 2025 kind which earned his quantity 4 rating final June.
Within the second set, the Montreal crowd whooped as Draper executed a robust cross-court forehand heading in the right direction to a dominant 6-2 set win.
He seemed primed for a comeback victory however a special, depleted Draper returned for the third set, surrendering the opening sport having led 40-15.
The 2024 US Open semi-finalist appeared pissed off within the fourth sport when he handed up a present of a break level, firing a drained forehand into the web.
After he was damaged for 4-1 within the subsequent, Draper sat down throughout a change of ends and was overcome with emotion, wiping tears from his eyes.
Atmane served out to assert the match and can face Russian Karen Khachanov within the second spherical.
Draper has a wildcard entry to the Cincinnati Open, which begins subsequent week, however the incident places his involvement unsure, and that of the US Open which begins on 23 August.
Earlier, British quantity 5 Jacob Fearnley beat France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-6 6-4 to arrange a second-round tie towards the Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik.
