British number one Jack Draper showcased his dominance on clay as he stormed into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory over American Marcos Giron.
The world number six needed just 61 minutes to secure the win, marking his best result at a clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Draper, who claimed the Indian Wells title in March, is looking to build on his stellar start to the year. Despite past struggles on clay, the 23-year-old displayed unstoppable form against Giron, hitting five aces and 21 winners while saving two break points early in the match.
Draper reeled off five consecutive games to seal the opening set and maintained his momentum with another five-game streak to close out the second.
Reflecting on his performance, Draper said, “It’s not easy conditions here sometimes, but I feel like I have been transitioning well to the clay. I’ve been working hard to look for my forehand and do all the things to be effective on this surface. Hopefully, this year I can have a good run.”
The fifth seed will face either Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the next round, as he aims for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere in Monte Carlo, Matteo Berrettini stunned German top seed Alexander Zverev in a thrilling three-set battle, while defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame a first-set deficit to defeat Australia’s Jordan Thompson.
