Jack Draper: British No 1 survives opening battle against Mariano Navone to advance at Melbourne Park

Jack Draper came through a five-set battle in the first round of the Australian Open for the second year in a row.

Twelve months ago, the British No 1 vomited into a courtside bin at the end of a gruelling win over Marcos Giron in intense Melbourne heat.

It was cooler and breezier this time, with Draper's biggest problem against Argentinian Mariano Navone his own inconsistency after a disrupted build-up caused by a hip injury.

• Australian Open LIVE! Order of Play and updates from Melbourne
• Australian Open: Women's draw I Men's draw I Dates, seeds & schedule
• Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW I Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp
• Sky Sports Tennis podcast - subscribe and download

Draper committed a whopping 88 unforced errors and looked to be heading for defeat at two sets to one down but dug himself out of a big hole to win 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 after four hours and one minute.

The 15th seed raised his arms in the air after Navone's final return flew wide before puffing out his cheeks and giving his opponent a weary hug.

"I think I showed a lot of heart today," said Draper. "It wasn't pretty at all. Was nowhere near my best. Sometimes it's about showing some heart. I'm really, really proud of that today. I think that's a big win.

"Today it wasn't pretty at all but I have a feeling that, the more matches I play, the more points I build up, the more I put myself in match situations, my tennis is going to get a lot better."

Draper was forced to miss a training block with Carlos Alcaraz and the United Cup because of the hip problem he sustained in pre-season but he spoke confidently about his prospects ahead of the tournament.

However, the 23-year-old looked out of sorts from the start, spraying errors and mistiming shots as Navone moved an early break ahead.

The British star, a potential dark horse after his run to the semi-finals of the US Open, settled into the contest in the second set and seemed to have turned the corner when he broke serve to start the third.

But instead the errors returned and he dropped serve twice in a row, with 47th-ranked Navone going on to take the set.

History nearly repeated itself in the fourth set as Draper broke early only to be pegged back, and, had Navone taken more than one of his five break points, he may well have emerged victorious.

But Draper dug in, broke again to lead 5-3 and was finally able to find some breathing space in the deciding set with Navone feeling the pace physically.

Draper admitted the hip issue left him struggling to walk and is something he will need to look after, but overall he was encouraged by the way he managed the match.

"Today, even with some bad preparation, after four hours I felt like I could keep on going for longer and longer," he said.

"I think I've come on a long way in the last year. I think more from a mental point of view, as well. I felt really calm. I knew after a couple sets it was going to be a long match, I'd have to contain myself, try and stay calm.

The 23-year-old left-hander was the third British winner of the day following on from Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart while Jacob Fearnley claimed the biggest win of his career with a straight-sets victory over Nick Kyrgios later on Monday.

He will face Thanasi Kokkinakis next after the Australian fought back from a set down and took painkillers during a medical timeout to beat Roman Safiullin 3-6 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in a first-round match that lasted over four hours.

"I could barely sleep last night, a lot of anxiety... To play in front of you guys was incredible," he said, pointing to the home fans.

Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with 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.