admin World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2), while Jack Draper upset world number three Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 7-6(5) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert.
Alcaraz relied on a near-flawless service game to seize control of the match, racing through the opening set in just 37 minutes after breaking Ruud’s serve three times.
Thirteenth-seeded Ruud raised his level in the second set and forced a tiebreak, hoping to push the match to a decider, but Alcaraz kept his foot on the gas to seal his 15th consecutive victory of the season to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth straight year.
“The conditions were difficult to be honest. Today the ball was tough to control but we both played great,” two-time champion Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
“My first set was incredible I’m really happy of playing that kind of level, really happy to get through and hopefully I’ll play this level on the next round.”
Carlos Alcaraz shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Casper Ruud. AFP
Alcaraz will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, who earlier beat Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-2, with the Spaniard looking to avenge a defeat to the Briton at last year’s Paris Masters.
Draper upsets Djokovic
Defending champion Draper claimed one of the biggest wins of his career by beating Djokovic in a deciding-set tie-break after two hours and 35 minutes.
Draper, who trailed after dropping the opener 6-4, stormed into the second set by breaking Djokovic early and surviving multiple break points before sealing it with aggressive baseline play.
Jack Draper hits a shot as he defeated Novak Djokovic in the fourth round during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, on Wednesday. Reuters
Djokovic won a stunning 26-shot rally at 30-all in the opening game of the decider, but Draper surged to leads of 3-1 and 5-3 before the 38-year-old Serb battled back to 5-5 and then broke the Briton as he first served for the match.
The 24-year-old kept his composure, forced the tie-break and dominated it to close out a statement victory.
“I still don’t feel like I’m playing anywhere near the way I want to play,” Draper said in an on-court interview.
“I came out here tonight and I won that match through determination and trying to problem-solve and do my best and have a great attitude.
Jack Draper is congratulated by Novak Djokovic after their match. AFP
“I’m proud of the way I regrouped. I haven’t been playing on the tour (in) a long time, so to put away guys who are top players, it’s something that comes with confidence.”
Draper will next face Russian 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2 6-4 in a commanding performance, needing just one hour and 27 minutes to dismantle the American and maintain his strong form after winning last month’s Dubai Open.
Reuters
