Indian Wells: Draper stuns Alcaraz to reach maiden Masters 1000 final

Indian Wells: Jack Draper snapped two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s 16-match win streak at the Indian Wells Open to power into his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final.

Draper powered through a riveting final set to clinch a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 victory and book his spot in the final alongside. With his one-hour, 44-minute victory, Draper ensured that he will rise inside the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.

“It was incredible,” Draper said of his victory. “Especially to beat Carlos on this court. He’s a great champion, and he was going for three wins on the trot here.”

“Carlos came out a little flat, I sensed that. I had a chance in the first game of the second, and he came up with an ace… What happened to him happened to me, I got tight, I had low energy. Against the top players in the world, they can change their momentum very quickly.

“I got lost out there for 25 minutes, but in the third, I was really proud of my competitiveness, my attitude and I somehow managed to get over the line,” he added.

Alcaraz was bidding to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the list of players who have successfully completed an Indian Wells three-peat.

Draper, who is up to No. 8 in the ATP Live Rankings, will face 21-year-old Holger Rune in the first final between two players born in the 2000s above ATP 500 level. Following runs to the fourth round at the Australian Open, and to the championship matches in Doha and Indian Wells, the Briton is 12-2 in 2025 season.

Despite dropping 600 ATP Rankings points, Alcaraz will remain as the World No. 3 on Monday.

IANS