Tennis News: Citi Open - Andrey Rublev beats Jack Draper in the opening round

Andrey Rublev took revenge for his 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 loss to Jack Draper in their first meeting at the Mutua Madrid Open with a comfortable straight-set victory.

Top seed Andrey Rublev converted on the seventh break point opportunity he got to clinch the opening set 6-4. His respect for Draper was visible, and he stayed on high alert throughout the match.

Andrey Rublev continued with his winning ways in the second set to get an early break, but Jack Draper tried to fight back and won two break point opportunities. However, Andrey Rublev regained momentum and held firm at 3-1 before winning the second set 6-2 to secure his victory on the hard court in Washington D.C.

Andrey Rublev served nine aces, won 89% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of Jack Draper three times from ten opportunities. In contrast, the 20-year-old British sensation served five aces, won 59% of the points on the first serve and committed three double faults.

In a post-match interview, Andrey Rublev said, "To be honest, I was thinking today, for sure it was a tough match, but I was thinking, most likely I would lose the match. I had that feeling because, in Madrid, he almost beat me. In the end, I'm happy that I was able to win in straight sets."

The victory improved the record of Andrey Rublev for the season to 33-11, with 19-4 on hard court. He is aiming to win his fourth season title, having won the titles at Marseille, Dubai, and Belgrade Open earlier this year.

Andrey Rublev will face the winner of the clash between Jack Sock and No. 13 seed Maxime Cressy in the next round of the ATP 500 event.

In another men's singles match of the day, Nick Kyrgios advanced to the second round after securing a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Marcos Giron of the United States. The 27-year-old Australian will lock horns with Tommy Paul of the United States in the second round of the Citi Open on August 4.