Draper seals final spot in epic win over Alcaraz
Jack Draper will play Holger Rune for the Indian Wells Open title after coming through a rollercoaster semi-final against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz a 6-1 0-6 6-4 winner.
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The 23-year-old Briton had to break Alcaraz's 16-match win streak at the tournament, and did just that as he surged to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final.
But it was far from smooth sailing, despite claiming the first set in double quick time 6-1. The second set went the completely opposite way as Alcaraz switched gears and dished up the first bagel of Draper's professional career.
The Brit appeared to be out on his feet at that point, but at 1-1 and 15-15 in the deciding set, he had a call overturned against him with a video review and his energy appeared to surge back from that point as he manufactured a doubled break against the Spaniard.
Draper served for the match at 5-2 but Alcaraz found a second win to erase one break, and held his serve to take it to 5-4, but Draper made no mistake with his second opportunity, claiming arguably the biggest win of his career to date.
“It was a strange match in all honesty,” Draper said.
“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 [in the second set]. 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 [set], I was really proud of my competitiveness, my attitude and I somehow managed to get over the line.”
Draper will move into the world's top 10 for the first time on Monday as a result of his run at Indian Wells, pushing above Australia's Alex De Minaur in the process.
Rune won his semi-final against Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, and Draper's victory ensures that for the first time, two players born in the 2000 will contest a final at an event above ATP 500 level.