Jack Draper's return to ATP Tour action came to an abrupt end in Dubai as Arthur Rinderknech defeated the British player 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 in a gruelling three-set encounter. The 24-year-old was competing on tour for the first time since last summer's US Open after a lengthy injury lay-off that had kept him sidelined with bone bruising in his left arm.

Despite the disappointing result, Draper's ability to compete in such a physically demanding match after months of recovery was encouraging. Rinderknech dominated with his serve, winning 84% of first-serve points and making 71% of his first serves, which limited Draper to just two break points throughout the entire match. The Frenchman broke in the third game of the deciding set and served superbly from there to deny Draper a route back.

Draper had won his opening match on Monday but couldn't advance to the quarter-finals. The bigger question now is whether he can continue his comeback at next month's Masters 1000 tournaments in the US, starting with Indian Wells before Miami. Meanwhile, Rinderknech advances to face fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the last eight, where he'll encounter a strong draw including Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, and Jakub Mensik.