Jack Draper made a strong start to his first event under new coach Andy Murray, defeating lucky loser Marcos Giron 6-4 7-6 (7-5) in the first round of the Eastbourne Open.

Draper has endured an injury-hit 2026 season thus far, with Monday's match being his first since retiring from a meeting with Tomas Etcheverry in Barcelona in April.

But, one week out from the start of Wimbledon, Draper came through a good test to defeat Giron, who was a late replacement for fellow American Brandon Nakashima following his withdrawal. 

Draper had the first set in the books within 36 minutes, but the second was more taxing as the players exchanged breaks before heading into a tie-break.

The breaker was tightly contested all the way, but after converting the first match point, Draper will face fellow Brit Jack Pinnington Jones in the second round.

"I'm incredibly excited to be back out here again," Draper said afterwards. "I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play on the grass because it's been an incredibly difficult year with certain physical bits, but to be here is special.

"If you haven't competed in a while, you never know what to expect."

Draper will be joined in the next round by Gabriel Diallo, who defeated Ugo Humbert in three sets, and Juan Manuel Cerundolo, with Jannik Sinner's Roland-Garros conqueror also getting past Raphael Collignon in three.

Elsewhere, at the Mallorca Championships, former Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios was beaten 6-3 6-4 by fellow Australian Adam Walton.

Kyrgios has struggled with various knee injuries, and he appeared to be affected by those fitness concerns as he hobbled between points, with only his booming service game keeping him competitive. 

Draper 'wins ugly' under Murray

Draper poked fun at Murray after the duo's first match together, saying: "Today was a performance a bit like what he used to do – winning ugly."

That assessment may be a little harsh if directed at his showing in the opening set, when the home favourite won 83% of points on his own serve (20/24).

That figure dropped to 71% (25/35) in the second set, but Draper was still able to register his first victory since Indian Wells in March, when he defeated 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic. 

His only previous participation at Eastbourne, in 2022, saw him reach the semi-finals, and a similar showing would go a long way as he looks to build momentum ahead of Wimbledon.