Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jack Draper: Where to Watch, Indian Wells Preview, Betting Odds | Tennis.com

“I think he’s ambitious, and he always goes for it,” Carlos Alcaraz says of Jack Draper. “That makes him a really tough opponent.”

Draper has played with a quiet confidence so far in Indian Wells. Does he have enough of it to end Alcaraz’s 16-match win streak there?

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The last time Draper faced Alcaraz, in the fourth round at the Australian Open, he was already out of gas. The Brit had survived three five-set matches in the span of six days; he had to go all the way to 10-8 in a final-set match tiebreaker to secure his third-round victory. So it was hardly a surprise when he lost the first two sets to the better-rested Alcaraz, and only slightly more surprising when he retired rather than try to play a third.

The rematch, from Draper’s point of view, will be held on a more level playing field. Neither he nor Alcaraz have dropped a set in their first four rounds at Indian Wells. And while Alcaraz has lost fewer games, Draper has had the more eye-opening run, beating Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-0, and knocking out two Americans, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, with higher rankings than him. Put this streak together with his runner-up finish in Doha last month, and a breakout year would seem to be on the horizon for the 14th-ranked Draper.

The 23-year-old, who has had an injury-riddled start to his career, is starting to sound convinced himself.

“Me and my coach are big believers that if I put my game on the court and if I do the right things, then, you know, I can honestly beat anyone,” Draper said on Thursday.

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