World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is through to his second consecutive Indian Wells quarter-final. A teenager faced another young gun Jack Draper in the fourth round and led 6-2, 2-0 when the Briton retired due to an abdominal injury.
Thus, Carlos has stayed on the title course, seeking his third Masters 1000 crown and Novak Djokovic‘s ATP throne
. Jack did not look good right from the start, getting broken in the encounter’s first game and quitting after the second set’s second game.
Carlos hit 16 winners and 12 unforced errors and had the edge from start to finish. The Spaniard denied three break points in the encounter’s second game and never looked back, stealing the rival’s serve three times to emerge at the top and move three wins from becoming world no.
1 again. The last year’s semi-finalist forced the rival’s backhand error in the encounter’s first game to create a break chance. Jack sprayed a forehand error to experience a break and push Carlos in front.
Carlos Alcaraz is through to his second consecutive Indian Wells quarter-final.
Alcaraz hit errors in the second game and faced three break points after a loose drop shot.
World no. 2 denied them and reached deuce after a service winner. Carlos wrapped up the game after Jack’s forehand mistake to cement the advantage and move 2-0 in front. Draper hit a strong forehand in the third game for a hold at 30 and his name on the scoreboard.
The Spaniard landed a forehand down the line winner in the fourth game to open a 3-1 gap and extended the next one with a forehand down the line winner. A teenager earned a break point with a volley winner at the net, and a left-handed denied it with an ace.
Alcaraz cracked a backhand winner for another break chance and seized it following Draper’s wayward forehand to open a 4-1 gap. World no. 2 held at love in game six with a smash winner for 5-1 and forced the opponent to serve to stay in the set.
Draper held at 30 to prolong the action before Alcaraz wrapped up the set with a hold at love in game eight for 6-2 in 37 minutes. Jack received a medical timeout on his abdominal wall and hit a double fault to experience three break points at the start of the second set.
Struggling to move and hit a ball properly, the Briton netted a forehand on the second to fall a set and a break down. Alcaraz held at love in game two with an ace, and Draper retired after losing the opening point of the third game, not wanting to risk anything ahead of Miami.
