Cameron Norrie Triumph In Auckland, Jack Draper Epic Comeback In Adelaide

British number one Cameron Norrie secured a victorious start at the Auckland Classic, while Jack Draper mounted a stunning comeback to advance in Adelaide. Norrie, a finalist in the city last year, triumphed over Frenchman Luca Van Assche with a 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1 victory.

In Adelaide, Jack Draper fought off two match points to overcome Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets, but Dan Evans faced defeat against Alexander Bublik.

In pre-Australia Open exhibition matches, Andy Murray suffered a 6-3, 7-5 loss to former US Open champion Marin Cilic, extending his challenging start to the year. Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu withdrew from the Kooyong Classic due to lingering soreness, having earlier pulled out of a charity match in Melbourne. The 2021 US Open champion’s participation in the Australian Open is not expected to be affected.

At the Kooyong Classic, Murray, a former world number one, will face 2020 US champion Dominic Thiem in another exhibition match on Thursday. The draw for the 2024 Australian Open is scheduled to take place in Melbourne on Thursday at 02:00 GMT.

In Australian Open qualifying, Britons Harriet Dart, Francesca Jones, and Oliver Crawford secured victories, while Heather Watson and Jan Choinski saw their hopes of participating in the first major of the year come to an end.