Indian Wells: Jack Draper defeats Cerundolo to prepare for matchup against Novak Djokovic
Jack Draper continued his remarkable return from an arm injury by defeating Francisco Cerundolo, setting up a round-of-16 encounter with Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells.
Draper capitalized on a fortunate turn at the conclusion of the second set to secure a 6-1, 7-5 victory, marking his first encounter with Djokovic since he managed to take the first set off the defending champion during his Wimbledon debut in 2021.
Now 24 years old, Draper made his return to the ATP Tour in Dubai last week after an eight-month hiatus, and his triumph over Cerundolo represented the first instance of him winning consecutive matches at the same tournament since Queen’s last June.
Draper remarked to Sky Sports: “I’m just beginning to reach a point where I’m playing without discomfort in my arm, so it’s challenging to feel truly confident.
“Of course, I’ve been competing a bit, but I must acknowledge that my tennis won’t be fully there for some time.”
Draper dominated the first set but faced significant pressure towards the end of the second as Cerundolo served to equalize before losing serve twice in a row as the Briton rose to the occasion at crucial moments.
He acknowledged that he would need to elevate his performance for his long-anticipated rematch with Djokovic, who advanced to the fourth round for the first time since 2017 after narrowly defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Draper added: “I’ve been following him since I was a young boy, and in my view, he’s the greatest player of all time.
“When you face him, you know he will be mentally prepared, you know he will make it an exceptionally challenging match and play some extraordinary tennis, and I must be ready for that.”
Fellow Briton and former champion Cameron Norrie also progressed to round four following an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over world No. 6 Alex de Minaur.
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Norrie will face Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, who caused an upset against 10th seed Alexander Bublik, winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-3.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz dropped the first set to 26th seed Arthur Rinderknech before coming back to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Sonay Kartal maintained British interest in the women’s singles as she rallied from losing the first set to defeat 15th seed Madison Keys.
The former Australian Open champion took the first set 6-2, but the British No. 2 responded by winning the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 to secure victory in just under two hours.
Kartal will meet current Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the round of 16 after the world No. 3 defeated Ukrainian 28th seed Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek advanced comfortably with a score of 6-3, 6-2 against Maria Sakkari, while Elena Svitolina triumphed over Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-2.
Source: espn.com
