Jack Draper: US Open semi-finalist gets extra rest as Great Britain beats Finland in Davis Cup opener | Tennis News

Jack Draper rested for Great Britain's opening Davis Cup match, but his replacement Billy Harris stepped into the spotlight and helped the team to a 2-1 win over Finland.

Britain's first draw of the tournament came just four days after Draper's physically demanding semi-final at the US Open in New York, where he was beaten by eventual champion Jannik Siner.

Team captain Leon Smith then decided to give the British number 1 some extra rest after training before more difficult matches against Argentina and Canada on Friday and Sunday at the AO Arena in Manchester.

Nevertheless, the hosts had more than enough of a lead to secure victory in the doubles over last year's surprise semi-finalists. The decisive victory went to debutant Billy Harris with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) triumph in his singles against Otto Virtanen.

At 29, Isle of Man-born Harris is a true late bloomer, having finally reached the top ranks of the sport in the last 12 months after spending years touring Europe in a converted van.

The first match against 23-year-old Virtanen was tricky. He is only nine places lower than Harris at 110 and played a key role in Finland's run to the 2023 semifinals. However, the Finns were without their injured number one player Emil Ruusuvuori and Virtanen's attempts to force a deciding set narrowly failed.

Harris had his unpredictable opponent completely under control until 4-2 in the second set. He then missed several double break opportunities and was immediately pushed back. But he withstood the pressure, forced a tiebreak and showed composure to take the win.

“It was always difficult to come in as number 1 with Jack and Cam. [Norrie] and there were no people there,” Harris said. “But I think I went out and played a good game.

“There was definitely a bit of nerves involved, you're not just playing for yourself, you're playing for the team and the country. But once it started, I felt good out there. A very proud moment and I'm glad I performed well.”

However, Finland managed to avoid a run on the table when Virtanen teamed up with Harri Heliovaara to defeat Evans and Neal Skupski in the doubles 7-6 (4), 7-5.

Evans' clash with Vasa was a milestone for the British veteran, who surpassed Andy Murray in his 26th match at the competition to move joint second in the British rankings with Mike Sangster, second only to Bobby Wilson.

He would not have been the favorite in any of his previous 37 matches, but Vasa played well above his position as world number 703 in the close first set.

“I knew his ranking, which probably made it a bit more difficult. The pressure to win the match was a lot more for me,” said Evans, who has slipped to 178th in the world rankings after a difficult 12 months.

“As Billy was a debutant, I really wanted to be 1-0 up to help him a bit more. I handled the situation well and in the end it was quite comfortable.

“Every week is great, it's incredible to be part of the team. I don't know how many more chances I'll get, so I'm going to keep enjoying it.”

Kartal reaches the WTA quarterfinals for the first time

British number 4 Sonay Kartal reached the first WTA quarterfinal of her career with a straight-set win over Mai Hontama at the Jasmin Open in Tunisia.

The 22-year-old qualifier from Brighton underlined her victory over fifth seed Jaqueline Cristian in the first round with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win.

Kartal, who is ranked 151st in the world, 46 places behind her Japanese opponent, got off to a perfect start with a break en route to a 3-0 lead and secured the first set with another break thanks to a backhand winner that grazed the line.

The second set was an exact copy: Kartal, who had reached the third round at Wimbledon this summer, again took a 3-0 lead before converting a third match point on Hontama's serve.

Where will Draper play for the rest of 2024?

It is not yet known when Draper will be in action next, but after a short break, the ATP Tour will resume on September 16 with events in China and Japan.

The Chengdu Open (ATP 250) And French Open (ATP 250) Tournaments will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis starting this week, followed by the Chinese Open (ATP 500) in Beijing and French Open (ATP 500) in Tokyo from September 23rd.

All matches are available to watch on Sky Sports as Draper looks to build on his impressive form on hard courts (17 wins – 9 losses) and over the calendar year (30-18), depending on where he plays next.

What else is coming to Sky Sports Tennis in September?

• Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
• Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (September 9-15)
• Korea Open – WTA 500 (September 16-22 – with Emma Raducanu in action)
• Thailand Open – WTA 250 (September 16-22)

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