Aug 14 (Reuters) - Jack ⁠Draper's comeback hit another obstacle on Thursday as ⁠the injury-ravaged Briton suffered a 6-3 7-5 ‌first-round defeat by Martin Landaluce at the Cincinnati Open.

Draper reached a career-high ranking of four in 2025 but had to cut ​short the season with a ⁠bone injury in his ⁠arm, and also dealt with a knee injury this ⁠year.

He ‌returned to action at the Canadian Open following his withdrawal from Wimbledon in June, ⁠breaking down in tears during his first-round ​loss to ‌Terence Atmane.

In Cincinnati, Draper led 5-2 in the ⁠second set ​but Landaluce reeled off five consecutive games to win.

"The way I'm usually able to fight for every ball ⁠and conduct myself, it's just missing," ​Draper told reporters.

Draper is ranked 143rd and his early exits from Montreal and Cincinnati mean he will likely ⁠have to come through qualifying at the U.S. Open, where he was a semi-finalist in 2024.

"The level of my fall almost from where I was ​last year and the amount ⁠of things that I'm having to change in my ​tennis ... The mountain seems very, ‌very big," the 24-year-old said.

The ​U.S. Open begins on August 30.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)