Heat halts Wimbledon qualifying as Draper advances

Heat stops – Sweltering conditions at Wimbledon qualifying saw play stopped at SW19 qualifying after an electronic line-calling system failed, while Jack Draper powered past close friend Jack Pinnington Jones 7-5, 6-4. In Roehampton, Dan Evans’ final Championships chance e

The heat hit SW19 with full force and, at Wimbledon qualifying, even the match rhythm couldn’t hold. Play was stopped amid the swelter after an electronic line-calling system failed, throwing another jolt into a day already defined by temperatures rising at the Championships’ doorstep.

Then, on court, Jack Draper did what he has been trying to do for months: come through another test. The 2025 Indian Wells champion beat fellow Brit and close friend Jack Pinnington Jones in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, to continue his increasingly difficult run through the draw at Eastbourne.

Draper’s season has been battered by fitness setbacks. He admitted his confidence levels had been “through the floor a couple of weeks ago. ” and revealed he was forced to skip Queen’s last week as he struggled for fitness. On this day, though, he looked closer to the player who can hurt opponents from the baseline.

In the first set, Draper took the opening break to race ahead 3-1. His loose-limbed slingshot forehand was at times “unbeatable,” and the compression sleeve on his left arm was one of the clearest signs of how much he has missed across the last year because of a “array of physical issues.”

The contest, however, swung when the heat did. Draper was occasionally complacent. settling into a rhythm where he would hold his serve and test ideas off it. with varying returns. When Pinnington Jones dragged the score level by breaking him to make it 5-5. Draper finally knuckled down and saw out the set.

The second set followed a similar pattern. Pinnington Jones was broken within minutes of returning to court, and Draper appeared increasingly battered by the late afternoon sun. He kept demanding a towel to cool down. and at one point he vomited onto the baseline as he waited to return serve. The disruption wasn’t just physical—Pinnington Jones also showed frustration over Draper’s delays at the change of ends as Draper swapped shirts and tried desperately to get his body back under control.

Still, Draper refused to let it derail him again. He held onto his serve, claimed the match with a no-messing hold, and finished at the net with a long bear hug that felt like part celebration, part reassurance.

“I think to be honest. the more I’m playing. the more I’m coming through these matches day by day. that’s setting me up perfectly for next week. ” Draper said. looking ahead to Wimbledon. He added that he wasn’t worried about whether going the distance this week would make him tired for SW19: “It’s not about that at all.”.

Draper described how hard it has been to get fit again. saying. “I’ve worked incredibly hard to get fit again. and nothing can be as hard as what’s gone on with me the last year.” He contrasted it with what it feels like now that he is back among tournaments: “And to be back. to be competing. to be at these tournaments. it’s almost way easier competing.”.

When he spoke about being injured, Draper put it bluntly. “When you’re, when you’re injured, you’re just in the asylum, training every day, trying to work things out, pain and struggle.”

The 24-year-old will now join fellow Britons Toby Samuel and Jan Choinski in Thursday’s quarter-finals.

While Draper moved forward, Dan Evans’ Wimbledon story took its final turn. In Roehampton, the former British No1 missed out on playing the Championships for the final time before his retirement at the end of the season after he was downed by the 28th seed Tristan Schoolkate in Wimbledon Qualifying.

Evans had been critical of the tournament’s decision not to award him a main draw wildcard so he could “say farewell in style. ” stressing the weight of his Davis Cup and Olympic contributions. He suggested Wimbledon had followed the standard set by the LTA. who had denied him an earlier main draw wildcard to Queen’s last week.

Wimbledon qualifying SW19 heat electronic line calling system play stopped Jack Draper Jack Pinnington Jones Eastbourne draw Toby Samuel Jan Choinski Dan Evans retirement Tristan Schoolkate Roehampton