Jack Draper delivered a breakthrough performance, defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling Indian Wells semi-final to reach the biggest final of his career.

The 23-year-old Briton stunned the Spanish world number three with a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 victory, aided by a crucial video assistant referee-style review in the deciding set.

Draper, now set to enter the world’s top 10 for the first time, showed composure to serve out the match at the second attempt.

"I'm proud of myself but I'm already thinking about the final," Draper told BBC Sport. "I want to end this week in a great way. We can think about the other stuff afterwards."

The pivotal moment came in the third game of the final set when a controversial umpiring decision was overturned by video technology.

At 1-1 and 15-15, umpire Mohamed Lahyani ruled that Draper had failed to reach a drop shot before the second bounce. However, with video technology now available at Indian Wells, Draper successfully challenged the call.

The review confirmed the ball had not bounced twice, leading Lahyani to overturn his decision and award Draper the point for a 15-30 lead. With momentum swinging back in his favor, Draper capitalized to break Alcaraz’s serve—a decisive moment in the match.

Draper praised the introduction of video technology, calling it "really good for tennis," while Alcaraz insisted the incident had not affected his performance. However, the Spaniard’s level dipped thereafter, ending his bid for a third consecutive Indian Wells title.

Draper will now take on Denmark’s Holger Rune in Sunday’s final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in California.

Rune, ranked 13th, secured his place with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, reaching the fourth Masters final of his career.

A win in the final would mark a career-defining moment for Draper, who has firmly established himself as Britain's top player and one of the rising stars of men’s tennis.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1158 HRS, MAR 16, 2025
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