Briton Draper wins maiden ATP Tour title in Stuttgart
Britain’s Jack Draper came from a set down to beat Italy’s Matteo Berrettini and seal a maiden ATP Tour title at the Stuttgart Open.
Draper, 22, lost the opening set but held his nerve to register a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory on grass in Germany.
It was Draper’s third appearance in an ATP Tour final and the first time he has been successful.
“It’s incredible,” Draper said.
“I’m really happy to win my first title, it means so much to me.
“There have been a lot of up and down moments over the last few years but this is a testament to the hard work that I’ve been putting in.”
Berrettini, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2021, broke Draper in the fourth game of the match before going on to see out the set.
The second set proved much tighter as both players held serve, with Draper passing up two set-point opportunities at 5-4.
The Briton eventually found success in a tie-break, winning 7-5, to force a decider.
It was at 3-3 in the final set that Draper produced the key moment of the match, breaking Berrettini and then holding serve twice to get over the line.
Draper will attempt to keep building momentum for Wimbledon, which begins on 1 July, when he returns to English soil for the Queen’s Club Championships next week.
He will be confirmed as British number one on Monday, moving above Cameron Norrie in the rankings, while he will climb to 31 in the world rankings and potentially a seeded position for Wimbledon.