Cilic rolls back the years to ruin Draper’s title ambition

In the minutes leading up to Jack Draper’s second-round match with Marin Cilic, the energy in the Wimbledon crowd would’ve had you believe this would be a coming-out party for Britain’s newest tennis star. Yet within minutes of the match beginning, it

- ALEX PATTLE

British No 1 Jack Draper fell 4-6 3-6 6-1 4-6 to former finalist Marin Cilic (Reuters) became clear that this would be an occasion for Cilic to test the 23-year-old's title credentials. It was, after two hours and 38 minutes, a test that Draper failed.

What better man to test those credentials than Cilic, too? A former finalist, and an inform one at that, the 36-year-old returned to SW19 after a four-year absence, but on the back of a triumph on the grass of Nottingham.

There was a rousing reception for Draper as the world No 4 emerged to face the “big-serving” Croat (a customary tag), yet it was a subtly different support than that afforded to Dan Evans earlier in the day. On Centre Court, it felt as though Evans would never have overcome seven-time champion Novak Djokovic without the crowd's backup, and ultimately the Briton's endeavour was ill-fated anyway. But on No 1 Court, it was as if the fans appreciated that Draper could probably get through without them. At least, it felt that way for a brief moment.

Because soon enough, the realisation set in that these games were not quite as straightforward as some might have expected. When Draper faced his first break point, for example, it was as early as 1-2 in the first set, yet the numbers on the clock read 0.23, signifying how arduous the opening exchanges had been.