British No.1 Jack Draper beat Quentin Halys in his first match on the ATP Tour since the US Open in August.
Draper was playing in the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday and secured a straight sets victory of his French opponent 7-6 (10-8) 6-3.
The Brit won the prestigious ATP 1,000 title at Indian Wells in March last year. However, sustained a nasty bruised bone injury in his service arm during the clay-court season in April. The condition became progressively worse which hampered the rest of his 2025 campaign. The culminated with a second round defeat to Marin Cilic at Wimbledon.
The 24-year-old had rocketed to No.4 in the world in June but his absence from the court has seen his ranking slip to No.15.
The complex nature of his injury will be a concern for Draper but he will be hoping that his return to the court will spark the start of a positive 2026 season.