Jack Draper defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5 at Indian Wells to set up a last-16 meeting with Novak Djokovic. The British No 2, who returned from an eight-month injury lay-off in Dubai last week, secured his first back-to-back wins at a tournament since Queen’s last June.
Draper dominated the first set but faced a stern test in the second, with Cerundolo serving for the set at 5-4 before the Briton broke twice to clinch victory. The 24-year-old told Sky Sports: “I’m only just getting to the point where I’m playing without pain in my arm, so it’s not easy to feel really confident. I’ve got to accept that my tennis isn’t going to be completely there for a while.”
Draper will face Djokovic for the first time since taking the opening set on his Wimbledon debut in 2021. He said: “I’ve been watching him since I was a young boy and in my opinion he’s the greatest player of all time. I’m going to have to be ready for that.” Djokovic reached the fourth round for the first time since 2017 after a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Fellow Briton Cameron Norrie, the 2021 champion, also progressed with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over world No 6 Alex de Minaur. He will face Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, who upset 10th seed Alexander Bublik 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-3.
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 beat Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-2.
