Jack Draper defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells ATP Masters semi-final, securing a spot in the championship match against Holger Rune. The British player, ranked 14th globally, secured a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz to advance to his first Masters 1000 final.
Denmark’s Rune, ranked 13th, defeated world number six Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 7-5, 6-4. Medvedev had finished as runner-up to Alcaraz in the previous two years.
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“This one hurts. I don’t want to lose any match, but I think this one was even more special to me. It was difficult today, a lot of nerves in the match.”
Draper ended Alcaraz’s 16-match winning streak at Indian Wells. He dominated the first set in 23 minutes as Alcaraz struggled against his left-handed serve.
The second set saw a complete reversal as Alcaraz improved his game. After saving a break point with a 137 mph ace in the opening game, he broke Draper’s serve three times to level the match.
“It was a strange match in all honesty. 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. 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.”
In the third set, Draper broke Alcaraz for a 2-1 lead following a lengthy video review. The review confirmed Draper had successfully returned Alcaraz’s drop shot before a double bounce.
Umpire Mohamed Lahyani initially called for a replay but then awarded the point to Draper, ruling his “not up” call hadn’t affected Alcaraz’s play.
“Waiting for the ball reviews, they didn’t bother me at all. All I can say is Jack came, he played much better than me. That point didn’t affect my play at all.”
Draper secured another break for a 5-2 lead after Alcaraz failed to convert four game points. Despite being broken while serving for the match at 5-2, Draper regained composure to win on his second attempt.
Rune demonstrated strategic excellence against Medvedev, ending his seven-match losing streak in semifinals.
“It was to really play my game, come forward, take the ball on the rise. If you hit hard to him, he likes the pace and he responds well to being in the defence and hitting strong back. So I tried to make it difficult for him. I tried to mix it up, making every shot that he has to play annoying for him. Slices, slow slices, some mixing the tempo, hitting hard on some, looping some.”
The first set saw an early exchange of breaks before Rune held serve at 4-4. The game extended to six deuce points and lasted nearly 11 minutes.
Rune broke Medvedev’s serve to lead 6-5 and won the set with a backhand shot that forced an error from his opponent. He secured an early break in the second set to claim victory.
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