Great Britain’s Draper has been eliminated as Gauff experiences a surprising defeat at the Olympics

British tennis hopeful Jack Draper faced a tough battle in the sweltering Paris heat as he succumbed to American seventh seed Taylor Fritz in the second round at Roland Garros. Despite a strong start that secured him the first set, Draper faltered as Fritz capitalized on missed opportunities, ultimately claiming victory with a 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 2-6 scoreline.

Draper, 22, expressed the challenging conditions, admitting, “It was brutal out there.” The match took a toll on Draper, who has encountered fitness issues early in his career. In a pivotal moment, Fritz’s resilience during a lengthy rally seemed to drain Draper of his energy, leading to a decisive break in the sixth game of the second set.

As the temperature soared past 30°C, Draper struggled to maintain his performance, losing precision in his groundstrokes and power in his serves. Consequently, Fritz secured victory, claiming 10 of the next 13 games and advancing to the last 16.

While Draper’s journey in the singles came to an end, the British contingent had more action lined up at Roland Garros. Later, the spotlight shifted to Andy Murray, who teamed up with Dan Evans to face Belgium’s Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the men’s doubles second round. Additionally, Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, and Joe Salisbury were set to compete in the women’s doubles and mixed events.

In another notable upset, American second seed Coco Gauff suffered a 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 defeat at the hands of Donna Vekic in the women’s singles third round. Gauff’s emotional unraveling in the midst of a dispute over a crucial line call proved to be a turning point in the match, dashing her medal hopes at the venue where she reached the French Open final in 2022.

As the action unfolded, German veteran Angelique Kerber and American Danielle Collins made significant strides. Kerber, who recently announced her impending retirement, secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, while Collins advanced to the quarter-finals after a hard-fought battle against Colombia’s Camila Osario.

The intensity of competition at Roland Garros continued to provide gripping encounters and emotional farewells as the athletes vied for success on the Parisian clay.