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British number one Jack Draper suffered a second-round loss to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech on his return to the ATP Tour at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Contesting his first event on the men's tour since the US Open six months ago, Draper marked his comeback from injury by beating Quentin Halys in straight sets on Monday.
But the 24-year-old's tournament was ended by world number 31 Rinderknech in a 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 loss two days later.
Draper has slipped to 15th in the world, after reaching a career-high ranking of fourth last summer, following his long-term absence caused by a bruised bone in his service arm.
The issue, which began during the clay-court swing last April, progressively worsened to the point that he was forced to withdraw before his second-round match at the US Open in August - and subsequently finished his 2025 season.
Draper ended his 164-day wait to make his return to competition when he played - and won - one match for Great Britain at this month's Davis Cup qualifiers.
Draper said he was "really proud" to make a winning return to the tour following "a lot of down moments [during] the last eight months".
Seeking to build on the victory over the 68th-ranked Halys, Draper made an assured start on serve as he lost just two points across his opening four games.
But he crucially failed to take his first two break points in the 11th game, before Rinderknech seized his opportunity to clinch the opening set in the following game.
Draper was the first to come under pressure in the second set as he withstood three break points to restore parity at 3-3 but, from the brink of trailing by a set and a break, he reset impressively.
The Briton lost just one point over his next three service games and would not relinquish control of the tie-break after winning four of the first five points.
However, it was Rinderknech who forced the breakthrough in the deciding set - with that proving enough to secure a quarter-final meeting with Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
Positives to take from Draper's tour comeback - analysis
In his opening match, Draper had enough quality to see off Halys. He did not possess quite enough sharpness against Rinderknech.
Draper was again wearing a compression sleeve on the affected left arm, although a string of winners from his dominant side - including an eye-catching 100mph forehand which whipped past Rinderknech - showed he was not afraid of holding back.
The Briton has also switched to a platform serve, meaning he stands with his feet slightly wider to allow a smoother transfer of weight, in an attempt to alleviate pressure on the bothersome bruised humerus.
That illustrates how Draper knows he needs to continue managing the issue.
Draper will be pleased how he pushed a tuned-up Rinderknech until the very end, even though he was unable to create opportunities on his opponent's rock-solid service game.
Rinderknech's variation and precision on a quick surface was hard to cope with. But Draper's lack of recent court time also showed in some rusty returning as the match reached its critical stage.
Once the feeling of frustration which inevitably follows any defeat subsides, Draper will reflect positively on the strides he has made in Dubai - assuming he recovers without any major issues.
Next he heads to Indian Wells - to defend the biggest title of his career - with valuable court time in the bank and the first step of a comeback likely to require patience completed.