ATP Tour

Landaluce forges second-set comeback to sink Draper in Cincinnati

Martin Landaluce kept the faith with his big-hitting game to snap a six-match tour-level losing streak in impressive fashion on Thursday at the Cincinnati Open.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard downed former World No. 4 Jack Draper 6-3, 7-5 to book his second-round spot at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Ohio. Landaluce saved six set points while rallying from a double break down at 2-5 in the second set, expertly capitalising on a drop in level from Draper, who appeared to hit a physical wall in the Cincinnati heat.

“I think the important thing today was believing in my shots, believing in my game,” Landaluce said. “I did some big misses at times but that’s okay, because it is how I enjoy playing. At the end of the match I made some big shots and I really like playing like that. If I lose this way, I don’t care, but today I got the win and I’m really happy.”

Landaluce converted five of 12 break points he earned in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Draper, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 20-year-old is now 8-4 for the season at Masters 1000 level, a tally which includes his quarter-final runs in Miami and Rome.

Currently third in the Next Gen ATP Live Race, Landaluce will take on 31st seed Matteo Arnaldi in the second round in Cincinnati.

Cameron Norrie and Denis Shapovalov were also early winners on Day 1 of main-draw action at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Norrie rallied past Dino Prizmic 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 for his first main-draw win in Cincinnati outside of his 2022 semi-final run. Competing this week as the No. 37 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, former Top-10 star Norrie will meet top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round.

Following Norrie and Prizmic onto Grandstand were Shapovalov and Adrian Mannarino. In the pair’s first meeting since 2024, Canada’s Shapovalov prevailed 6-1, 6-4. Next up for the lefty is a second-round encounter with the in-form 12th seed Rafael Jodar.

In other action first-round action, Thiago Agustin Tirante held his nerve to outlast Jan Choinski 7-6(9), 6-7(7), 7-6(4). The Argentine, after failing to convert a match point in the second-set tie-break, reeled off seven consecutive points from 1/4 down in the third-set tie-break. Tirante's reward will be a second-round meeting with three-time champion Novak Djokovic, who is set to make his Cincinnati appearance for the first time since 2023.

Rinky Hijikata was also among those who earned a hard-fought victory on the opening day. The Australian rallied from the brink to edge Gael Monfils 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3. Monfils, who plans to retire at end of the season, was making his final appearance in Cincinnati.