Jack Draper Withdraws from DC Open, Norrie Breaks Losing Streak

Jack Draper pulled out of the Mubadala DC Open due to an arm injury, as announced by tournament officials. The withdrawal marked another setback for the 24-year-old, who has struggled with fitness issues throughout the year and had missed the first three Grand Slam events. Once ranked No. 4 in the world, Draper has fallen to No. 147 and was scheduled to face American Alex Michelsen in the first round of the tournament.

A statement on X confirmed: "Jack Draper has withdrawn from the tournament with a left arm injury. He will be replaced in the draw by lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald." Sources indicated that Draper made the decision to withdraw in order to prepare for next month’s ATP Tour events in Montreal and Cincinnati. However, he will likely require a wild card to enter either tournament, as well as the US Open, for which he would probably need to qualify.

In other news, Cameron Norrie overcame American Aleksandar Kovacevic with a dominant 6-4, 6-1 victory at the Miffel Tennis Open. With this win, Norrie ended a six-match losing streak that dated back to April, advancing to the last 16 in just one hour and 22 minutes.

Norrie, who previously won his first ATP Tour title in Los Cabos in 2021, lost his serve in the opening game but quickly broke back and seized the set. The second set proved to be one-sided, lasting only 32 minutes as Kovacevic managed to hold serve just once, after saving two break points.

In the next round, Norrie is set to face either Australian James Duckworth or American qualifier Aidan Mayo.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Katie Boulter was unable to maintain her early momentum, suffering a loss to Ashlyn Krueger. The 29-year-old, who recently married Australian world No. 5 Alex De Minaur, initially dominated the first set and broke to take a lead in the seventh game as Krueger sent a backhand long. Boulter successfully broke again to clinch the opening set.

However, Krueger managed to turn the match around, reducing her number of unforced errors significantly in the second and third sets to secure a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory. This victory placed Krueger in a last-16 match against Naomi Osaka.