Jack Draper made his return to action for Great Britain in the Davis Cup but the US Open semi-finalist’s reinstatement to the team could not prevent defeat.

Draper fell to defeat against Francisco Cerundolo, in straight sets 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, in a match lasting two hours and nine minutes less than a week on from from his epic clash with eventual US Open champion Jannik Sinner.

The result gave Argentina an unassailable 2-0 lead ahead of the doubles rubber after Dan Evans lost to Tomas Martin Etcheverry earlier in the day.

It meant Great Britain missed out on the chance to book their spot in Malaga for the knockout stage in November ahead of facing 2022 champions Canada in their final Group D tie on Sunday.

GB began their Davis Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Finland, with Draper’s replacement Billy Harris coming to the fore to help the team win and the 22-year-old rested after his draining run to the last four in in New York four days previously.

Britain were left with work to do after Evans was beaten 6-2 7-5 by Etcheverry in the opening clash earlier in the day.

More to follow on this story…

Where is Draper playing in the rest of 2024?

It’s not yet confirmed when Draper will next be in action outwith the Davis Cup, but after a brief hiatus the ATP Tour swings back into action with events in China and Japan from September 16 onwards.

The Chengdu Open (ATP 250) and Hangzhou Open (ATP 250) tournaments will be live on Sky Sports Tennis from that week, followed by the China Open (ATP 500) in Beijing and Japan Open (ATP 500) in Tokyo from September 23.

All matches will be watchable on Sky Sports as Draper looks to improve his impressive form on hard courts (17 wins – 9 losses), and across the calendar year (30-18) depending on where he next decides to play.

What else is coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?

• Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
• Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (9-15 September)
• Korea Open – WTA 500 (16 -22 September – with Emma Raducanu in action)
• Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16 -22 September)

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.