WHAT an anti-climax this is for Jack Draper and the rest of the British sporting summer.
The homegrown hope came here as the fourth seed, having had the season of his life, but he has disappeared from view after just seven sets of tennis.
Marin Cilic, at 36, turned back the years and outsmarted and out-aced Draper in a ruthless, clean-hitting display on No1 Court.
All the hope and expectations that Draper might mount a serious title challenge – perhaps even become the third British male champion in more than 100 years – were unravelled by the Croatian veteran.
Cilic fired down 16 aces in a 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 victory on day four of the Championships.
For the second year running at Wimbledon, Draper was undone in the second round in disappointing, deflating fashion.
It happened 12 months ago to compatriot Cameron Norrie.
But this was different because of the significant improvements made in his game and his lofty status in the draw.
You might look at the score and think that Draper simply buckled under the pressure of being the home favourite.
Maybe that is the case and only he can say for sure but in truth, Cilic played exceptionally well, even if he did deliver six double faults across the four sets.
What Draper failed to do was move his opponent around the court and test out his battle-weary body.
There was little variation and Cilic, who has had knee surgery, should have been manoeuvred more around the grass – instead, it was all too easy for the former US Open champion to dominate.
It was all too flat as well from the Sutton man.
There was little emotion, no screaming, no roaring – he needed to produce something that would get the crowd up on their feet and energised.
When 2017 Wimbledon runner-up Cilic went two sets ahead, it was a worrying time for Draper supporters as the 23-year-old had never before come back to win from such a deficit.
His cause was helped by winning set four in 31 minutes as youth prevailed over experience and he suddenly found his range.
Cilic is a very difficult person to watch as a tennis neutral because he bounces the ball about 12-16 times before serving.
The 6ft 6in giant received a time violation in game four of the third set – this earned a huge cheer from the fans – and it clearly put him off his stride as he was broken by Draper at a key juncture.
Yet even though Draper’s level improved and he thrillingly saved two break points in game eight of set four, any prospect of a momentum shift was soon halted.
Cilic – who turned pro in 2005 when Draper was THREE years old – was relaxed and calm as he decisively broke his opponent’s serve.
Draper’s frustration boiled over when he argued with the umpire over a Hawk-Eye call but in this era of no line judges, he cannot challenge the decision.
The baffling decision by tournament Jamie Baker to schedule this on No1 Court rather than Centre Court proved the wrong one.
It is fair to assume loads of debenture ticket holders would have rather watched this than Jannik Sinner demolish Aleksandar Vukic.
It means it will be another year before Draper is exposed again to the premier grass court in the world.
Only twice out of seven matches has he competed on Centre Court and there were plenty of compelling reasons why he deserved to be there this evening.
As Draper packed up his bags and left the arena, Cilic celebrated one of his best wins in years – even if his kids did not seem all that bothered by the result.
They continued to focus on their colouring books as Daddy, back after missing the last three editions in SW19, moved into the third round of Wimbledon for the ninth time and secured a date with Spaniard Jaume Munar on Saturday.
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