Jack Draper loses to Adrian Mannarino in final

Young British player Jack Draper faced a defeat as he lost to French second seed Adrian Mannarino in a thrilling three-set final at the Sofia Open, missing the opportunity to secure his first ATP Tour title.

This marked an end to Draper’s nine-game winning streak as he was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 2-6 6-3 in the Bulgarian capital.

Prior to this, Draper had clinched a title last week at a second-tier Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy, making it a very eventful couple of weeks for the 21-year-old.

Despite the defeat, it’s worth noting that Draper is the youngest British man to reach a tour final since Andy Murray, who achieved the same feat at the same age back in 2009.

On the other hand, the experienced Mannarino, 35, held firm to claim his fifth tour title, demonstrating his professional prowess.

Newbie Draper did not manage to replicate Murray’s success, even though he made a stirring comeback in the second set, but couldn’t maintain the momentum in the third set.

World number 25 Mannarino has clearly been enjoying a successful season, also winning titles in Astana and Newport this year.

Despite the loss, Draper has had a promising season, reaching the US Open’s last 16 in September and will now eagerly look forward to showcasing his skills at the Davis Cup Finals later this month, for which he has been named in the Great Britain squad for the quarter-final against Serbia, set to take place in Spain on 23 November and will be broadcast live on BBC Sport.