"I never like to lose, but the guy played an incredible match" - Jack Draper hapless against big-serving Opelka enroute to painful defeat

After a positive campaign at Indian Wells, Jack Draper was unable to kickstart his Miami Open with a win, falling to Reilly Opelka in the second round 7-6(3), 7-6(0). After the match, he admitted there was little he could do against his opponent's serve while

The 23-year-old had failed to defend his title at Indian Wells, but gave a good account of himself with a run to the quarterfinals, defeating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic before losing out to Daniil Medvedev at the quarterfinal stage.

He was looking to do something he had never done before: make it past the second round at the Miami Open. Winning just two matches at the tournament in four prior events, Draper was looking to prolong his campaign in Florida, sticking around for the long term. This would not happen.

Opelka played a brilliant match, offering nothing aside from one break point in the first set on his serve while Draper stayed firm on his. Opelka hit 25 aces in total compared to Draper's seven, winning 87% of first serve points. This ultimately led to a brace of tiebreaks to conclude each set. The world number 67 may not be at his absolute best compared to a few years ago, but he was still able to produce the goods against a highly respected opponent, dropping just three points over the tiebreaks to secure safe passage into the third round for a second year on the spin.

It was a tough one for Draper, who could only take the consolation that his opponent played very well. "Definitely some disappointment, I never like to lose, but the guy played an incredible match," Draper begrudgingly admitted to Sky Sports.

It is just his third ATP tournament back after an extended period on the sidelines. Draper is wise enough to know that it will take time before he reaches is absolute best again. "It's a difficult one. Obviously I haven't played a load of tennis, it's still the very start of my comeback from my injury, so it's going to take time."

He has reiterated these thoughts for some time, not piling expectation onto his shoulders as he keeps his head down and focuses on the next task at hand. "I've just got to keep on chipping away with my team, trying to do all the right things, practising well," he added. "The thing I'm looking forward to the most is earning the right to get momentum again."

Opelka is very much known to be a huge server. The American stands at 6′ 11″, making him one of the tallest players on the ATP Tour. This aids his massive serve and a unique opponent to play against, with breaks becoming a rarity when drawn against him.

This explains the two tiebreaks, which the former Indian Wells champion felt like he could do nothing about. "I ​didn't have many chances, especially on his serve," ⁠Draper told reporters later. "I didn't get ⁠broken in the match so that was kind of my job, right?"

Like the rest of the tour, Draper will have his eyes on the next task with the Sunshine swing at an end. He will look towards the clay swing with some huge tournaments on the horizon. A ranking drop is once again on the cards with the points from last year's Madrid Open final and Rome Open quarterfinal on the line for the British number two.