One of the most important attributes for a top tennis player to have is a bad memory. In such an intense sport where another significant event is always around the corner, being consistent means not dwelling on successes or failures, always focusing on the next task.
Five days after finishing as runner-up at the Madrid Open, this was the challenge before Jack Draper in Rome. He handled his opening match extremely well, holding off a spirited comeback from Italy’s Luciano Darderi in an intense two-set tussle to reach the third round of the Italian Open with a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Fresh off one of the best tournaments of his career, Draper picked up where he left off early on, serving supremely and lasering forehand winners as he breezed through the opening set. Things became much more difficult in the increasingly cool and slow evening clay-court conditions. Buoyed by a hopeful home crowd, Darderi dragged his opponent into lengthy, physical rallies and dominated the baseline points during the set.
Draper faced six break points during the second set, including four in a dramatic game at 3-3, but every time it hung in the balance, he scuppered the danger by producing a massive first serve and playing bold attacking tennis to escape. In his first week as a top-five player, this was a mental performance befitting of one of the elite and it earned him a third-round match with Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic.
“There were a couple [of points] there at 30-30 where I went after the forehand, but I missed it,” Draper said. “And then on the break point, I didn’t go into my shell, I kept on trying to come forward, kept on trying to do the right things and that’s what I see from top players. They back themselves on every point, regardless of whether it’s a break point or not. And I think those kind of pressure moments, that’s what separates great players from good players.
“So I’m still trying to learn how to be effective in those moments. But I think mentally and emotionally, I’m definitely dealing with that much better. And I think that’s experience at this level and just belief in what I’m doing.”
Earlier on Friday, Emma Raducanu maintained her composure despite only learning of her second-round opponent at the 11th hour, eventually producing one of her cleanest performances of the season to reach the third round with a 6-2, 6-2 win against the Swiss lucky loser Jil Teichmann.
A couple of days after her turbulent, tension-filled first-round win over the teenage Australian Maya Joint, in which she failed to serve out the match in set two before regrouping well to close out the final set, Raducanu found herself back on the same court under completely different circumstances. The Briton had been scheduled to face Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 21st seed, until around three hours before the match when it emerged that she had withdrawn. She was replaced by Teichmann, a Swiss player ranked No 94, who had lost in the final qualifying round.
Not only does Teichmann, a lefty with a topspin-heavy forehand, play a completely different style to the flat-hitting, ultra-aggressive Alexandrova, Raducanu and Teichmann had also never faced each other. Still, this was a great opportunity for Raducanu against a lower-ranked opponent.
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“It was difficult,” Raducanu said. “I found out literally mid-practice and it was a big change. I mean, completely different opponents. Ekaterina plays very fast and flat, and is a right-hander. And then playing Jill, she’s lefty, plays a lot more spin, a lot more variation. So it was hard. I haven’t really hit with a lefty for since my match with Marketa [Vondrousova] in Abu Dhabi. So adjusting was difficult, but I’m really pleased with the way that I was able to.”
Before the tournament, Raducanu said she planned to find her way on clay by committing to attacking tennis. She has backed up those intentions in the heat of battle this week, producing an impressive display of smart, offensive tennis and particularly striking her forehand brilliantly. On Sunday, she will face Veronika Kudermetova, a former No 9, for a spot in round four.
Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie, who had entered the main draw as a lucky loser, fell 6-4, 6-2 to the 10th seed Daniil Medvedev and Sonay Kartal was also defeated 6-4, 6-2 by the 30th seed Linda Noskova.
