Draper stuns Alcaraz to reach Indian Wells final

- BBC News

Draper stuns Alcaraz to reach Indian Wells final

Jack Draper is the fifth British player to reach the final of an ATP Masters 1000 event

Britains Jack Draper was helped by a controversial video assistant referee-style call in his favour to earn a coming-of-age win over Carlos Alcaraz and reach the biggest final of his career.

Draper, 23, stunned four-time major champion Alcaraz with a 6-1 0-6 6-4 victory in a dramatic semi-final at Indian Wells.

The British number one, who served out the match at the second attempt, will move into the worlds top 10 for the first time in his career as a result.

The pivotal moment of a bizarre match in California came when Englands Draper was rescued by video technology in the third game of the deciding set - and went on to break Alcarazs serve.

With the score at 1-1, and the game 15-15 on Alcarazs serve, the ball was adjudged by umpire Mohamed Lahyani to have bounced twice before Draper reached it.

It was clearly a wrong call, but Draper successfully asked for a replay which allowed Lahyani to overturn the decision.

Given the point for a 15-30 lead, Draper went on to secure a break which ultimately proved the difference.

The left-hander goes on to face Denmarks Holger Rune in Sundays final at the Masters 1000 event.

Rune, ranked 13th in the world, reached the fourth Masters final of his career with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.

Olivia Nicholls is the British number one in womens doubles

Meanwhile, Britains Olivia Nicholls missed out on a first WTA 1000 title after losing in the Indian Wells womens doubles final.

Nicholls, 30, and her Slovakian partner Tereza Mihalikova were beaten 6-2 7-6 (7-4) by Dutch player Demi Schuurs and the USAs Asia Muhammad.

Nevertheless, it has been another productive week for the pair, who have formed a strong partnership since linking up last May.

Nicholls has already becoming Britains leading womens doubles player and, after competing in her first final at the level below the Grand Slams, will climb to a career-high 31st place in the world rankings.



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