Jack Draper wins first ATP singles title with Stuttgart comeback against Matteo Berrettini

The third time proved the charm for Jack Draper on Sunday at the BOSS Open, as the 22-year-old Brit rallied from a set down to defeat two-time tournament champion Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 and win his first career ATP singles title.

The Italian, who won in Stuttgart in 2019 and 2022, was bidding to be the second man after Rafael Nadal to win three titles at the BOSS Open in the Open Era, and was two points away from completing the feat in the second-set tiebreak.

But instead, it was Draper who completed a comeback in two hours and four minutes, reversing the fortunes of his previous two previous three-set losses in ATP finals in Sofia last year and in Adelaide in January.

"It's incredible," Draper said post-match. "It was a really, really tough match. But I'm really happy to win my first title. It means so much to me."

The two big servers combined for 26 aces, and were each only broken once. But of the four break points he faced, Draper saved three in the sets he won. Crucially, two came at 5-5 in the second set, which would've allowed Berrettini to serve for the match, and another came at 3-3 in the decider. He secured the deciding break of serve in Berrettini's subsequent service game, and won his last two games to love to clinch the crown.

Last year, he missed the entire grass-court season due to a shoulder injury, and was ranked as low as No. 123 in August. But Draper will now soon become the top-ranked British man, as he'll rise from No. 40 to No. 30 in the ATP rankings on Monday, putting him in pole position to be seeded at Wimbledon, which begins on July 1.

"I think [it is] just a lot of hard work. A lot of tough moments the last year or so," Draper said. "It's been up and down, but I'm really, really glad with the way I played, and I think it's a testament to the work I've been doing."

After missing much of the clay-court season due to injury, Berrettini was seeking to add a second trophy to his trophy case this year after triumphing in Marrakech in April.

"Congrats to Jack. Unbelievable week. Unbelievable match. I was so close," Berrettini said. "This one is going to hurt for a little bit, but that's tennis. I've won matches like this, I've lost matches like this. I'm sure this guy is going to lift more trophies."