Britain’s Jack Draper scores one of biggest career wins by defeating former champion Novak Djokovic Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters in a gripping three-set battle.Draper prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in a tense encounter, with the British left-hander overcoming the 38-year-old Serbian legend in a physically demanding third set. The result allowed Djokovic to return to the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the first time since winning the Indian Wells tournament for the fifth time in 2016.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!“I came out here tonight and I won that game through determination, working through it, doing my best and having a good attitude,” Draper said after the win, which was his second game back after a lengthy layoff with an arm injury.The match was fairly even in the first two sets, but a marathon first game of the decider proved to be the key. The two players scrambled around the court chasing small balls and lobs until Djokovic sealed the victory with an overhead winner and collapsed on the court exhausted.“A little bit,” Djokovic said, reflecting on the moment. “It was great to win that point in that game, but I was completely out of energy.”Draper quickly broke Djokovic’s serve but was unable to end the match at 5-4. The Serbian led 4-3 in the tie-break and briefly sensed an opportunity.“He played a sloppy game and it ended 5-4… I got the support from the crowd and felt the energy,” Djokovic said. “Like, maybe I’ll choose this. It’s so, so close.”But Draper summoned the courage to seal the victory and set up a quarter-final showdown with Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4.Elsewhere, world number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant start to the season with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Casper Ruud.“Honestly, my first set, I didn’t think I was going to be able to compete,” Alcaraz said after extending his unbeaten run to 15 games in 2026. The Spaniard will next face Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who beat Rinki Hijikata 6-4, 6-2.
