Indian Wells (USA), March 14 (IANS) Jack Draper showcased a classy performance to register a victory against fellow countryman Andy Murray to enter the Round of 16 on his Indian Wells Masters debut, here.
Draper won the pair’s first ATP Head-to-Head meeting 7-6(6), 6-2 on Monday night for his second straight victory against a fellow Briton in Indian Wells, having beaten Daniel Evans in the second round.
He saved a set point with an ace at 5-6 in the opening set, then rattled off the final four games to seal a famous result, clinching it on a double fault for his third break of the match.
“I’ve looked up to Andy since I was so young. I watched him win Wimbledon for the first time in 2013 and then I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him and practise with him often since 2019,” Draper was quoted as saying by ATP Tour.
“He’s a really special person, a great champion, a great human being and I’m privileged to play against him on this court,” he added.
With the victory, Draper inched closer to matching his best ATP Masters 1000 result, a quarter-final run in Cincinnati last season.
The 21-year-old Briton will next play the winner of the match between the top seed Carlos Alcaraz and Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
“Beating Dan and Andy, that’s about as much confidence as I’d need for that match. Carlos is another level up, he’s been No 1 in the world, had an exceptional year last year, so it would be amazing to play him again in another real battle,” said Draper.
The pair met last October in Basel, where Alcaraz came from behind to pull out a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win.
–IANS
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