WIMBLEDON MEN'S ROUND UP: Six British men through to second round

WIMBLEDON MEN’S ROUND UP: Six British men through to second round for first time since 2001… and it could have been even more

  • Six British men are through to second round for the first time in over 20 years 
  • It could have been more had Dan Evans and Jay Clarke not been knocked out 
  • As well as Andy Murray, Jack Draper, Liam Broady and Cam Norrie are through
  • Alastair Gray and Ryan Peniston have also both managed to progress

Heady days, these. Not since 2001 have six British men reached the second round of Wimbledon.

And to think it could have been even rosier, had No 2 Dan Evans not crashed out to an Australian qualifier ranked 66 places beneath him.

Or had Jay Clarke fought back against American Chris Harrison when their match resumed on Tuesday. Alas, Clarke was beaten 7-6, 6-1, 7-6. That was a double dose of disappointment on an otherwise promising day.

Jack Draper is one of six British men to have made it through to Wimbledon’s second round

However, Dan Evans crashed out following his 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 defeat against Jason Kubler

Jack Draper and Liam Broady did join Andy Murray, Cam Norrie, Alastair Gray and Ryan Peniston in round two.

Evans, though, struggled to match former junior world No1 Jason Kubler, losing 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

‘It’s not easy to take, but he was better than me,’ Evans conceded.

‘That’s why they roll the balls out. If it was done on rankings, there would be no tournament.’

Liam Broady won a five-set tussle with world No 243 Lukas Klein over three-and-a-half hours

Jay Clarke ended up losing 7-6 6-1 7-6 in his clash against American Chris Harrison

Broady, meanwhile, won a five-set tussle with world No 243 Lukas Klein over three-and-a-half hours.

The 28-year-old won 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 to set up a second-round clash with 12th seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.

Draper’s Wimbledon debut last year saw him face Novak Djokovic on Centre Court. This year, a more low-key introduction. But his 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs was the first of a very promising Grand Slam journey.

‘I know this is just a start, hopefully I can keep on going,’ the 20-year-old said.

Draper, the British No 4 and world No 94, now faces Australian 19th seed Alex de Minaur.

‘I come here confident,’ he added. ‘I’m ready to do some damage in this tournament. I believe in my ability. Let’s see how far I can go.’




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