Image source, EPAImage caption, Jack Draper's previous tour-level singles match was in the US Open first round on 25 August
British number one Jack Draper marked his post-injury return to action on the ATP Tour with a straight-set victory over Frenchman Quentin Halys in Dubai.
Competing on the men's tour for the first time since the US Open last August, Draper won 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 on his debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The 24-year-old, who has slipped to 15th in the world after reaching a career-high ranking of fourth in June, will play Hungary's Fabian Marozsan or France's Arthur Rinderknech next.
Draper contested his first competitive match for 164 days when he played at the Davis Cup Qualifiers earlier in February, beating Norway's Viktor Durasovic in straight sets.
But he had remained absent from tour-level singles competition since withdrawing from the US Open before his second-round match because of a left arm injury six months ago.
Draper won the prestigious Masters 1,000 title at Indian Wells and reached the fourth round of the Australian and French Opens in a promising start to his 2025 season.
But he began struggling with a bruised bone in his service arm during the clay-court swing in April, and the issue progressively worsened.
Determined to complete a full recovery from the issue, Draper took the decision to miss the Australian Open in January before making his return for Great Britain on 5 February.
Seeded fourth in Dubai, Draper had to withstand a set point when serving at 5-4 down in the opening set but went on to edge a tight tie-break by winning three consecutive points to overcome an 8-7 deficit.
Despite first-set opportunities for both players, the first break of serve in the contest did not arrive until the fourth game of the second set when the 68th-ranked Halys hit wide to give Draper a 3-1 lead.
Draper served out victory untroubled from there, conceding just two further points on serve as he ending the match with an impressive 86% win rate on his first serve.
The left-hander's successful recovery from injury was also evidenced in the 19 of his 24 winners which flew off his previously affected forehand side.
