In his first match since his breakthrough quarter-final run at the Montreal ATP Masters 1000, #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper claimed another statement win on Tuesday at the Winston-Salem Open.

The 20-year-old outlasted Fabio Fognini 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to set up a third-round showdown with Dominic Thiem, who moved past top seed Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian’s second-set retirement.

Draper, seeded 13th, ran out to a 5-0 lead in the final set, but had to save seven break points in doing so. After he escaped 15/40 in the set’s opening game, he erased five break chances in a five-deuce fifth game, the longest of the two-hour match. The Briton saved 10 of 13 break points in the contest while breaking on six of 10 chances on return.

Entering the week at a career-high of No. 55 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Draper moved up three places in the Live Rankings to No. 52 following his opening victory. He could enter the Top 40 by winning his first tour-level title this week.

After saving two match point against J.J. Wolf on Monday night, Thiem made a sluggish start against Dimitrov before finding his legs in the second set. But as the Austrian raised his game, his opponent faded physically and was ultimately forced to retire while leading 6-0, 2-4.

“The most important [thing] today is that Grigor gets well very soon again,” Thiem said post-match. “The match is not the priority; that’s never the way I want to win a match, especially against Grigor.”

🇦🇹 @domithiem advances to the next round at the #WSOpen after Grigor Dimitrov is forced to retire.

That hug says it all 😞@WSOpen pic.twitter.com/v2ji39bw8i

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 24, 2022

After failing to conver from 0/40 in the opening game of the match, Thiem lost seven straight games before a love service hold got him back on track in the second set.

“Playing-wise it was very tough in the first set,” he said. “I had a good start actually, and then he somehow broke and it was really difficult.

“I could pick up a little bit my intensity better [in the second set].Yesterday was really tough, over three hours. I finished late, I got to bed at 3:30 and then it was not easy to get the intensity straight up again. It’s very humid, you lose a lot of liquid here, a lot of sweat. So that’s tough and I was not able to have my intensity straight away, but in the second set it got a little bit better.”

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Second seed Botic van de Zandschulp closed play on the stadium court with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win against fellow Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. He will next face 15th seed Jaume Munar, a 6-3, 6-4 winner against Tseng Chun-Hsin.

Other seeded players to advance included Maxime Cressy, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Benjamin Bonzi and Ilya Ivashka. Laslo Djere upset 19th seed Joao Sousa in dramatic fashion, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

China’s Wu Yibing translated his red-hot form on the ATP Challenger Tour into a debut victory in Grand Slam qualifying on Tuesday at the US Open. 

The 2017 US Open boys’ singles champ and former junior World No. 1 earned a 6-4, 6-3 win against 18th seed Ricardas Berankis to move within two victories of his maiden main-draw appearance at a major. 

The 22-year-old was an efficient three of four on break point opportunities while saving six of seven break points against him in the match. He will next face Italy’s Stefano Travaglia, a 6-3, 6-4 winner against Michael Geerts.

Travaglia was one of seven Italian men to advance on Day 1 of the US Open Qualifying Tournament, led by 10th seed Franco Agamenone. The 29-year-old Agamenone hit seven aces in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana.

Fourth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli lost 7-5, 6-3 to Turkey’s Altug Celikbilek, while fifth seed Juan Pablo Varillas was upset 6-2, 6-2 by France’s Gregoire Barrere.

Five Americans advanced, including Bjorn Fratangelo, Christopher Eubanks, Brandon Holt, Zachary Svajda and Ethan Quinn. Both Fratangelo and Holt secured victory in a third-set tie-break, with Fratangelo edging Argentina’s Juan Bautista Torres 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(10-4) and Holt downing France’s Alexandre Muller 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-5).

Ben Shelton, the #NextGenATP American who reached the third round of last week’s Western & Southern Open, announced on social media Tuesday that he is turning professional. The 19-year-old won the NCAA Singles Championship last year while competing for the University of Florida.

“After sitting down with my parents this weekend, I have decided to forgo my last two years of eligibility and turn pro. While this wasn’t an easy decision, I’m excited for the next chapter in my career,” Shelton wrote. “I want to thank the University of Florida for two incredible years. It has been a once in a lifetime experience to become part of the Florida Family, and to compete for National Championships. These are memories I’ll cherish forever.

“I have made brothers for life. I’m grateful for my teammates, coaches, and support staff at UF who have been there for me my whole collegiate career, and helped shape me into the person I am today. I would also like to thank my family, who have always taught me to BELIEVE in God, and myself, while pushing me to stay balanced in everything I do. God is good.

“With that, I am going to continue my finance degree online while travelling on tour. I can’t wait to get out there, expand my horizons, and see what this next chapter has in store. Gator Nation, I will be repping all over the world! I’m pumped to see everyone at the US Open. CHOMP CHOMP 🐊”

Lotta love for the Gators🐊🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/ZVdbW6lGmp

— Ben Shelton (@benshelton1009) August 23, 2022

The lefty began the year at No. 573 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Shelton climbed to a career-high No. 171 after his run in Cincinnati, where he stunned Casper Ruud in the second round. He has also earned a 14-5 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, including runs to the championship match in Rome, Georgia and Chicago, Illinois.

Shelton, who received a wild card into the main draw of the US Open, is 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan. The teen will try to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, which will be played in Milan from 8-12 November.