Draper Advances to BNP Paribas Open Quarter-Finals with Win Over Fritz

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – British tennis player Jack Draper secured his place in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open with a straight-sets victory over third seed Taylor Fritz on Tuesday evening. Draper defeated Fritz in a hard-fought match, winning 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the next round.

The match shifted in Draper’s favor with an impressive seven-game streak that began late in the first set. Despite a late stumble, Draper maintained his composure to close out the match. The serve dominated the first ten games until Draper seized his only break opportunity in the eleventh game, taking the first set 7-5.

Seeded 13th in the tournament, Draper built a commanding 4-0 lead in the second set by breaking Fritz’s serve twice. He faced a minor setback when he served for the match at 5-2, committing a double fault that allowed the American former champion to break back. Nonetheless, Draper rallied with a pair of aces to claim the second set on his second attempt.

“It is the best match I have played here so far in the three years I have been here,” Draper said after the match. “There were a few moments here and there which I was brave, and I spoke to my coach about it before the match. Taylor is such an amazing player, so to come through in the way I did, I am very proud of that.”

Draper will face Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals after the 11th seed defeated Brandon Nakashima 7-6, 6-1 in his own match. Meanwhile, ninth seed Andrey Rublev was knocked out in straight sets by Francisco Cerundolo. The Argentinian will now take on second seed Daniil Medvedev, who breezed past Alex de Minaur with a score of 6-1, 6-1.

In the women’s event, Sonay Kartal saw her run end in the round of 16 after losing 1-6, 2-6 to world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Kartal, the British No. 3, reached the main draw as a lucky loser and had previously defeated Polina Kudermetova. Although she broke to win the opening game, Sabalenka quickly asserted control to set up a clash with Liudmila Samsonova, who advanced with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over sixth seed Jasmine Paolini.

Lastly, wildcard entrant Kayla Day also secured her spot in the quarter-finals by coming from behind to defeat third seed Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Day will face Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Donna Vekic in a tightly contested match, winning 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.