Jack Draper’s bid for a maiden Masters quarter-final on clay came to an end on Thursday as the British fifth seed was edged out by Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last 16 at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Draper, fresh off his Indian Wells triumph last month, lost 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 in a tense three-set encounter that saw him battle from a set down before falling short in the decider.
Despite saving a match point to take the contest into a third set, he couldn’t overturn an early break in the final frame.
Davidovich Fokina, ranked 42nd in the world, is now into the Monaco quarter-finals for the third time and will meet either Alexei Popyrin or fourth seed Casper Ruud next.
The Spaniard famously reached the final in 2022, which included a shock win over Novak Djokovic.
Elsewhere, 20-year-old Arthur Fils continued his impressive run with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over defending champion Andrey Rublev.
The Frenchman is through to his third consecutive Masters quarter-final this season and could face world number two Carlos Alcaraz next, should the Spaniard get past Daniel Altmaier later tonight.
Fils, still chasing his first semi-final at this level, is relishing the chance to test himself against the best.
“If it’s him, it’s going to be the first time I’m going to play him,” he said of a potential clash with Alcaraz. “It’s going to be a good experience. He’s a big champion.”
The evening session will also see three-time Monte Carlo winner Stefanos Tsitsipas take on Nuno Borges, while Daniil Medvedev meets Alex de Minaur in another eye-catching tie.
