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Mark the day that Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper both won within hours of each other at a prominent tour event, because it looks like being the first of many.
Aged 19 and 20, the pair of them played on neighbouring show courts at the Madrid Open yesterday, and both enjoyed wins on a surface that has sometimes been a burial ground for British tennis players.
Making it a hat-trick for GB of straight-set progressions was Dan Evans, a more established source of victories in recent years.
Jack Draper celebrates during his win over Lorenzo Sonego on Sunday at the Madrid Open
By now, Raducanu needs no introduction to anyone, but the US Open champion’s 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk extended a run on the brown dirt — five wins from seven matches — that seemed unlikely a few weeks ago.
Draper is a less familiar figure to those outside tennis, but that may not be the case for long as he rapidly heads towards the top 100.
Of the three wins, that of the strapping young lefthander was the most eyecatching. Hitting service speeds of 138 mph, he blasted his way past Italy’s world No 27 Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-3.
Twice in the past month Draper has received wildcards into Masters level
