Droguet ousts Popyrin 7-6 6-1 in Cincinnati qualifying

Titouan Droguet came through a tense opening set and then ran away with the match, beating Alexei Popyrin 7-6, 6-1 in the final qualifying round in Cincinnati. The Frenchman was the more secure server throughout, landing 58.5% of his first deliveries and winning 83.9% of those points, with seven aces against three double faults. Just as decisive was his second ball, which yielded 68.2% of points, while Popyrin won only 37.5% behind his own and coughed up six double faults. With the Australian making just 53.6% of first serves, the tiebreak proved the only real resistance before Droguet secured his place in the main draw.