Jack Draper secures Top 10 debut with win over Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells semifinals | Tennis.com

Draper, who had already taken out No. 4-ranked Taylor Fritz earlier in the tournament, came out swinging against the No. 3-ranked Alcaraz on Saturday, winning 11 of the first 12 points of the match en route to a 2-0, 40-0 lead—and clinching a 3-0 lead a few points later. He eventually closed out the first set after just 23 minutes.

The Brit then brought up a break point in the first game of the second set—but Alcaraz fought it off and things swung completely from there, as the Spaniard stormed to a 30-minute bagel set.

But there was one more swing to come, as after two holds to start the third set Draper broke again, eventually opening up a 5-2, double-break lead. Alcaraz got one of the breaks back but the Brit served it out on his second try for his second Top 4 win of the week.

“It was a strange match,” the 23-year-old Draper said afterwards. “Carlos came out and he was a bit flat, I sensed that, the first set went very quickly. And then I had a chance in the first game of the second and he came out with an ace, and it kind of happened to me what happened to him in the first set—I got tight, I got low energy, and the top players in the world can change the momentum very quickly. So I just got lost out there for 25 minutes.

“In the third I came out and I was very proud of my competitiveness and attitude, and I managed to get over the line there at the end.”

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