Jack Draper continued his impressive comeback from an arm injury by beating Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5 to set up a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells. The 24-year-old Briton rode his luck at the end of the second set, clinching victory after Cerundolo served for the set at 5-4 before dropping serve twice in succession.
Draper, who returned from an eight-month absence from the ATP Tour in Dubai last week, said he is only just playing without pain in his arm. 'It's not easy to feel really confident,' he told Sky Sports. 'I've got to accept that my tennis isn't going to be completely there for a while.'
This will be Draper's first meeting with Djokovic since taking the first set off the defending champion on his Wimbledon debut in 2021. 'I've been watching him since I was a young boy and in my opinion he's the greatest player of all time,' Draper added. 'I'm going to have to be ready for that.'
Djokovic reached the fourth round for the first time since 2017 after squeezing past Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Fellow Briton Cameron Norrie, the 2021 champion, also advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over world No. 6 Alex de Minaur, setting up a meeting with Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata.
In the women's singles, Sonay Kartal kept British interest alive by recovering from a set down to beat 15th seed Madison Keys 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. World No. 2 Iga Swiatek eased past Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2, while Elena Svitolina defeated Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-2.
