Jack Draper continues to defend his Indian Wells title by reaching the last 16 and is relishing the chance to face Novak Djokovic again.
The 24-year-old played in his second ATP Tour event since last summer after being sidelined for nearly eight months with an arm injury, and showed great effort to defeat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundro 6-1, 7-5.
Draper will face 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic for the second time, five years after losing in four sets on his Wimbledon debut.
“We know what to expect from Novak,” Draper said.
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Jack Draper said winning again at Indian Wells meant a lot to him after missing so much tennis, and although he still feels bad, he believes he’s getting better most days.
“I’ve been watching him since he was young and I think he’s clearly the best tennis player of all time. His mentality and level of tennis has always been incredibly high.”
“I’ve got to play really well and take my chances, but most of all I’m very grateful to not only be out here, but to have the opportunity to play against them and continue to improve my level and give myself the chance to compete at the stage I want to be at.”
Draper dominated the first set against 19th-seeded Cerundro, but admitted he was looking for consistency after having to come back from a break twice in the second set.
“I think the more you play, the more you get it,” he added.
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Highlights of the match between Cameron Norrie and Alex De Minaur at Indian Wells.
It will be a tough situation for Draper to defend the biggest title of his career so soon after his return, and a loss to Djokovic would mean he would fall to second place in the British Championship behind Cameron Norrie.
Norrie put in his best performance to defeat sixth seed Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 and will next face fellow Australian Rinky Hijikata in the preliminary round.
Sonai Kartal, ranked second in the British women’s rankings, also advanced to the fourth round for the second consecutive year with a stunning 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over former Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
Kartal, who saved a match point against Emma Navarro last time out, is battling a lower back injury but recovered from a set down to face reigning Melbourne champion and third seed Elena Rybakina.
Kartal told BBC Sport: “I felt some discomfort in my back at times during this fight, but matches like today show the fighter in me.” “On these courts, I feel like I can beat anyone at any time.”
“Djokovic will take Draper’s position.”
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Highlights of the tennis match between Novak Djokovic and Aleksandar Kovacevic at Indian Wells.
Jonathan Overend of Sky Sports Tennis:
“Draper defeated Cerundro in straight sets to see off his first win against the Argentine, but he had lost twice before in Davis Cup, in Lyon and Manchester.
“There were some interesting moments in this match, including Draper’s variety of shots, the arc of his forehand, and the timing of some of his serves and volleys.
“Draper picked up two wins at Indian Wells. If he could get three wins, that would be really great, because his next opponent is Novak Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slams and won Indian Wells five times. How great would that be?”
“I remember well that day on Center Court – just over seven years after watching Andy Murray win Wimbledon in the stands as a kid, young Jack Draper suddenly faced the great man Djokovic in the opening round of the tournament and won the first set.
“They haven’t played since. This will be a good test to see what kind of situation Jack is in.”
Watch the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells live on Sky Sports until March 15th. Stream tennis now with no contract required.
