Jack Draper recorded already his second win at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final when he bested Gael Monfils, who was forced to retire mid-match.
After Holger Rune started the action-packed Saturday with win over Alexander Bublik, Jack “The Power” Draper and Gael “La Monf” Monfils played the second match at the 2023 UTS Grand Final in London.
After Day 1 of the round robin action, Draper had one win under his belt, and so did the Frenchman, who best Alexander Bublik in his first match at the tournament.
Therefore, this match was a crucial one, as for both players, it could mean qualifying for the Final Four, joining Andrey “Rublo” Rublev, who had already sealed his spot.
Draper, who is the home crowd favorite in his hometown, was the better player once again, but the first quarter proved to be a real challenge for both players. However, the Brit eventually emerged victorious.
Alraedy in the second quarter of the match, the Brit dominated, as he jumped out on a massive lead early in the quarter, and he never lost it, increasing his advantage to 2-0.
Draper also seemed to be the better player in the third quarter, as he was already leading 6-2 halfway through the quarter, and that’s when the disaster struck for Monfils.
The French player has been struggling with many injuries recently, and twisting his ankle during a pre-season tournament was certainly not something that he wanted to happen.
Yet, it happened, and Monfils was really upset. He got into a heated exchange with the umpire and the match referee, as he was initially not allowed to take a medical time-out mid-quarter, as that’s something that is not in the rules at the UTS.
However, they eventually allowed him to do it, but the French player clearly didn’t want to continue, as he retired from the match.
Monfils’ retirement meant that Draper won already his second match at the UTS Grand Final, securing him a spot in the Final Four of the tournament.
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