Jack Draper defeated Francisco Cerundolo at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to set up a fourth-round clash with Novak Djokovic.
The Briton won 6-1 7-5 and will now face Djokovic for the first time since Wimbledon in 2021. The Serb won in four sets en route to winning six of his seven titles at the All England Club.
Djokovic defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 1-6 6-4 on this day and advanced to the fourth round for the first time since 2017.
“Tennis is one thing. He’s a person and a player that I’ve watched since I was a kid. In my opinion, he’s the greatest player of all time,” Draper said. Sky Sports.
“He has consistently shown year after year that he is the biggest champion.
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Highlights of the Indian Wells match between Novak Djokovic and Aleksandar Kovacevic
“When you play against him, you know he’s going to be there mentally. You know he’s going to give it an incredibly tough match and play crazy tennis. And I’m going to have to be ready for that and keep playing my game.”
“We will definitely have to compete hard and prepare well.”
Draper continued his comeback from a lengthy injury layoff, opening the defense of his Indian Wells crown with a win over Roberto Bautista Agut.
The 24-year-old won 79 per cent of his first serve points against Cerundolo, but was pushed hard in the second set, converting just six of his 14 break points.
“Over the last eight months I’ve really wanted to get back on the court, but I’ve had to accept the fact that I’m going to have a pretty long-term injury,” he said.
“It’s really nice to get that feeling of being able to play back-to-back games again because there was a point where you had one practice and you couldn’t do another.
“I’m very grateful to be here, regardless of how I play.”
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Indian Wells match highlights between Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur
Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, the 2021 champion at Indian Wells, also advanced to the fourth round with a 6-4 6-4 win over sixth seed Alex de Minaur.
Pegula goes from back to front.
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Highlights from Jessica Pegula and Jelena Ostapenko’s match at Indian Wells.
Jessica Pegula came from the set to book her place in the next round with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko.
The win gave the American 11 aces, the most she has managed in a WTA Tour match.
Pegula later told the press, “Today I think I need to step back and ground myself, because (the negativity) obviously it’s starting to affect everything.” “I kept telling myself I didn’t actually play bad.
“That’s one thing that frustrates you when you don’t play well. I didn’t think I played bad. I thought I was playing pretty well. It was just giving myself a few chances, getting a few breaks and maybe allowing a few shots that I could have been more aggressive with.”
Meanwhile, Belinda Bencic beat Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3, and Karolina Mukova beat Antonia Ruzic 6-0, 6-3.
Watch the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Sky Sports until March 15. Stream tennis NOW with no commitment.
