INDIAN WELLS
In the Indian Wells quarterfinal, Jack Draper of Britain prevailed over Ben Shelton 6-4 7-5; Draper will now play Carlos Alcaraz in his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal.
At Indian Wells, where he will face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final stage on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Tennis, Jack Draper says he is “looking forward to another crack” at the player.
Draper, who had eliminated world No. 4 Taylor Fritz in the round of 16, upset American Ben Shelton 6-4 7-5 in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
The Brit and Alcaraz previously faced off in a 2023 last-16 match at Indian Wells, with Alcaraz advancing after Draper was forced to quit due to injury while down 6-2 2-0.
Since then, the two have faced off again. In 2024, Draper defeated Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in the Queen’s last 16 before the Spaniard eliminated Draper from the 2025 Australian Open in January.
‘Best match I’ve played here!’ – Draper knocks out Fritz at Indian Wells
Draper told Sky Sports Tennis, “It feels amazing to do it [reach a maiden Masters 1000 semi-final] here at Indian Wells as well, a tournament I have watched since I was young.”
“It means the world to me to watch all the greats play on these courts. To be honest, it is the reason I play and work so hard with my squad, and I do feel fantastic today.
“Alcaraz loves these conditions, but he is aiming for the three-peat. He performs brilliantly here.
“I am eager to get another chance because I have already fought him out here and I was a little hurt in that match.
“I am excited to compete fiercely, give it my best as usual, and attempt to create some very enjoyable moments.”
“Shelton is a challenging problem to solve, therefore I was not sure what to anticipate from him.”
Draper acknowledged that his triumph over fellow leftie Shelton in the quarterfinals was everything but simple.
He admitted, “To be honest, I had no idea what to anticipate.” “I think we have only hit on the court once.
It is really odd to watch someone on TV, you know. I definitely know what he brings, but when you’re actually facing someone on court, it’s pretty hard to problem-solve against someone who gives you no rhythm like that.
He can hit a winner off anything off the forehand, has a tremendous serve, a huge forehand, and a lot of slices on the backhand. His style is really unconventional.
“I think I maintained my calm extremely well under challenging conditions, and I am proud of the way I competed, even if I found it challenging at first.”
