Carlos Alcaraz reckons Jack Draper ‘deserves to be top 10’ player after disappointing Indian Wells exit
Carlos Alcaraz was denied a three-peat at Indian Wells after succumbing to a three-set defeat by Jack Draper in the semifinals.
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Jack Draper, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via ATP/X)
Jack Draper got the better of Carlos Alcaraz when they met in the semifinal of the Indian Wells Masters. On Saturday (March 15), Draper denied the young Spaniard a chance to complete a three-peat in the tournament with a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 win.
Draper wrapped up the first set in just 23 minutes as he took advantage of Alcaraz’s 13 unforced errors, but lost the momentum in the following set. The third set saw them battle it out against each other, but in the end, Draper was successful in shocking the two-time defending champion.
Following the match, the four-time Grand Slam champion tipped Draper to be one of the best ATP players. Alcaraz, however, believes that neither Draper nor he were able to give their best because of the conditions.
I remember, you know, in January when I played him in Australia, he had to retire. I said, ‘You will be where you deserve.’ And he deserves to be top 10. He deserves to play a final in the Masters 1000. I am happy about him because I didn’t doubt about his level, about himself. He’s ready to stay there for a long time. He’s ready to play for the big events, for the big tournaments.
Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference
Draper also confronted chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani due to his not-up call during the third set when Alcaraz hit a drop shot. Lahyani asked to replay the point, but as Draper wasn’t ready to accept the decision, he was eventually awarded the point.
Jack Draper was low on energy during Indian Wells semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz
Jack Draper snapped Carlos Alcaraz‘s 16-match win streak in the California desert. Although he did win the match in an hour and 44 minutes, he admitted later that the semifinal was “a strange match in all honesty.”
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.
Jack Draper said during his on-court interview
Draper, who is 12-2 on the season, is now 2-3 against Alcaraz in their head-to-head meetings. He is assured of a spot in the top 10 on Monday even if he fails to clinch the title.
Draper has also secured his second win over a top 10 player in a week following his match against World No.4 Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. Alcaraz would have joined Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer had he lifted the Indian Wells three times in a row. He would have also become a player born in 1991 and later to win three consecutive singles titles in an ATP event.
Jack Draper to lock horns with Holger Rune
Draper has scheduled the Indian Wells final match against Holger Rune on Sunday (March 16). Rune, before setting up the final clash with Draper, upset two-time Indian Wells finalist Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinal.
Draper, who reached the Australian Open fourth round for the first time this season and played Indian Wells after reaching the final of the Qatar Open, is searching for his first title of the season. He last won an ATP trophy at the 2024 Vienna Open.
Rune, on the other hand, hasn’t tasted success in ATP events last year as the 2023 BMW Open was the title he last won. The Dane is 1-0 against Draper, having won the quarterfinal of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
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