Jack Draper got his clay season off to a roaring start as he thrashed Marcos Giron at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The British No.1 needed just 61 minutes to beat the American 6-1 6-1, earning his first top-50 win on the surface in two years.

Draper had a tough outing on the clay last year, losing plenty of tight three-set battle and suffering early exits at the big tournaments. Coming back onto the dirt as a top-10 player and Masters 1000 champion, he wanted to prove himself.

The 23-year-old said: “I felt great. Obviously been working really hard the last couple of weeks.

“I felt like last year, I was playing well, obviously not the player I think I am now, not as confident, not as physically and mentally strong as I am now. But I felt like last year was playing some good level.

“I just couldn't get my feet off the ground, having some really tight losses here and Madrid and places like that. So I think this year I feel really pumped up like I've got something to prove.”

Draper is up to a career-high ranking of No. 6 this week and was playing for the first time since he suffered an opening-round exit at the Miami Open. While he never wants to lose early, Draper used his time off to put in the work - and it paid off.

The Brit added: “I want to win and do well in every tournament I play. I think in Miami, it was a good sort of experience for me.

“Although I say to myself, I want be consistent every week, it was really difficult. I was in Indian Wells for three weeks and then I got to Miami and my body felt good.

“I just felt extremely emotionally tired from such a new experience, winning a big event like that, and the fact that the Masters are so long now it is just really, really difficult to keep on going. It's basically a month where you've just got to be on the whole time and that's not easy for anyone, even in the position we're in.

“So I think it was nice to get some time at home and get some time to prepare for the clay, get my body feeling good and yeah. Look, I didn't want to lose early, but I'll take it in my stride.”

The fifth seed in Monte-Carlo this week, Draper fired 21 winners down the court, five of which were aces. But the British No. 1 still believes he can do better.

“Served okay today, could have served better,” he explained. “But I definitely think obviously being on the clay, I think the balls here are a bit soft, so I think everyone struggles a little bit on serve this week, I've noticed.

“Obviously returning well today, deep, but I think as a lefty, if you're looking for your forehand and your forehand is really effective, that's going to do the damage on the court.”

Draper is through to the last 16 here for the first time, and he faces either Tomas Etcheverry or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.