Draper dominates Baez as seeds tumble around him

British number one Jack Draper beats clay court specialist Sebastian Baez, who retired with an injured knee after a slip

- KIERAN JACKSON ON COURT ONE

With the sun setting past teatime on a baking Wimbledon day, and the shade gradually emerging across the court, Britain’s top singles player entered the arena in a primetime slot. Burberry models and social media influencers posed and pouted courtside, eager to show off their prized viewing spot. Only 23 years young, Jack Draper had better get used to this.

Yet as first rounds at Wimbledon go, this was as comfortable as they come. Frankly, Draper could play on this stage for another decade and won't have an easier match at the All England Club. While world No 4 Alexander Zverev crashed out 200 metres south of the grounds on Centre Court - the 12th men’s seed to be eliminated in the first round here - Draper’s mission against Sebastian Baez on Court 1 was simple: total destruction.

So much so that he forced his opponent into submission. A scoreline of supremacy read 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 (ret), with the Argentinean retiring due to a knee injury. With a bit of luck, Draper was back home in Putney in time for Tuesday night’s highlights show. Seventy-four minutes and done. Mission accomplished.

The quick duration is not insignificant. At Grand Slams, playing best-of-five sets every other day, any chance of respite should gratefully be grasped. Draper’s conditioning has deserted him before, not least when he vomited on court in the US Open semi-finals last summer. But this is the new and improved Draper: a well-oiled powerhouse and physical specimen. Here, he was keen not to waste anyone’s time.

Although that was not the party line. “I wanted to play a bit longer, in all honesty,” he said, with a smirk, on-court afterwards. “I was getting my tennis together a bit. It’s no way to win like that, I wish Sebastian the best of recoveries.”