One racquet-smashing episode later, Jack Draper is into the fourth round of the Italian Open, where he will do battle with France's Corentin Moutet on Tuesday.
The British number one overcame qualifier Vit Kopriva in the third round to book a date with the giant killer, who took down Holger Rune in an absorbing encounter lasting nearly four hours.
Match preview
© Imago
Ever the calm and composed presence on the court, Draper seldom lets his emotions take over - thanks in no small part to his newfound dominance - but the 23-year-old's pent-up frustrations reached tipping point during his third-round clash with qualifier Kopriva.
At 3-1 up in the second set, Draper spurned four break points before under-cooking a drop shot - his fifth unforced error of that game alone - and allowing Kopriva to reduce the deficit to 3-2, at which point the clay court took quite the beating from the Briton's racquet.
Falling 40-0 down on serve in his next game did not help, but Draper fought back in the manner befitting a player of his ranking, saving all three break points and ultimately seeing out a 6-4 6-3 victory in one hour and 41 minutes to make it back-to-back Masters fourth-round appearances, after his run to the Madrid final.
The 23-year-old's third-round win was a particularly momentous one, as it marked his 100th on the ATP Tour, although he admitted post-match that he did not wake up on the right side of bed; a claim backed up by the statistics.
Indeed, Draper only managed three aces, missed 10 of his 13 break points and registered 37 unforced errors compared to 21 winners, but the ugly wins are just as important as the plain-sailing ones for a man who is adapting to the unforgiving world of being a top-five player.
© Imago
Upcoming foe Moutet cannot relate in that regard - the Frenchman has never even managed to crack the top 50 of the singles rankings - but his place in the last 16 of the Italian Open is more than merited after he triumphed in the fourth-longest tournament match on record.
Squaring up to ninth seed Rune, the 26-year-old magnificently prevailed 7-5 5-7 7-6[4] at the end of a three-hour and 44-minute marathon, the longest men's singles contest at the Italian Open since the 2006 final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer eclipsed the five-hour mark.
Moutet allowed three match points to slip from his grasp at 5-4 up in the third set, but after Rune fatally sent a backhand wide in the tie-breaker, the Frenchman understandably collapsed onto the court in a mixture of exhaustion and euphoria.
Not only did Moutet win the longest non-final match at the Italian Open in history, he also reached the fourth round of a Masters competition for the first time in his career, although he was present in the last 16 - or third round - of the Paris Masters in the 2022 campaign.
Now seeking a maiden quarter-final appearance at an ATP 1000 event, Moutet will lock horns with either Carlos Alcaraz or Karen Khachanov if he can get the better of Draper, also enhancing his prospects of a first-ever top-level singles title while prolonging the Briton's wait for clay stardom.
Tournament so far
Jack Draper:
First round: vs. Bye
Second round: vs. Luciano Darderi 6-1 6-4
Third round: vs. Vit Kopriva 6-4 6-3
Corentin Moutet:
First round: vs. Rinky Hijikata 3-6 6-1 7-5
Second round: vs. Ugo Humbert 6-3 4-0[ret]
Third round: vs. Holger Rune 7-5 5-7 7-6[4]
Head To Head
Draper and Moutet have never played one another at the top level before, but Tuesday's tussle has all the makings of an absorbing affair between two lefties.
The British number one has physicality on his side, though, standing at 6ft 4in tall compared to Moutet's 5ft 11in, and his exceptional 80.8% win rate for 2025 also trumps the Frenchman's 50%.
We say: Draper to win in two sets
What is predictable with Moutet's matches is that they are consistently unpredictable, with the Frenchman bringing variety and elements of risk to his game no matter who is on the other side of the net.
Draper's gritty success over Kopriva did hint at some bumps in the road for the world number five, but with a day's rest under his belt, we still expect him to get the job done in two.
Ben Knapton
