Indian Wells (United States) (AFP) – Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is bracing for a tough semi-final test from “ambitious” British lefty Jack Draper on Saturday as he aims to take the next step toward a rare Indian Wells ATP Masters three-peat. The world number three from Spain is looking to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three straight titles in the California desert.
And despite his 3-1 record against Draper, he won’t be taking the world number 14 lightly. “I think he has a lot of rhythm, a lot of pace, great shots,” Alcaraz said. “I think his style of play suits pretty well to these conditions. It seems he’s in really good shape right now,” Alcaraz added. “I think he’s ambitious, and he always goes for it. So that makes him a really tough opponent.”
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Two of Draper’s losses to Alcaraz have come by retirement — including at Indian Wells in 2023 and in the Australian Open fourth round this year — where he’d won three straight five-set matches before facing Alcaraz in the round of 16. “I faced him once out here already and I was a bit injured in that match, so I’m looking forward to getting another shot,” said Draper, who reached the US Open semi-finals last year but was hindered early this season by a flare-up of hip tendinitis. “He brings so much to the court, especially in these conditions,” added Draper, who claimed his lone win over Alcaraz at Queen’s Club last year. “He’s setting the benchmark really high, and that’s good for a player like myself because I watch him and play against him and I think what I need to do to be at his level.”
In the other semi-final, Daniil Medvedev will also be seeking to reach a third straight final — having come up short against Alcaraz in each of the past two years. The 29-year-old Russian, a six-time Grand Slam finalist, jumped for joy after digging out a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory over 20-year-old Arthur Fils in the quarter-finals to earn a last-four clash with another young gun in Denmark’s Holger Rune.
Medvedev has won two of their three prior encounters, including a quarter-final victory at Indian Wells last year. “(His) talent is really strong,” Medvedev said of the Dane whose star has faded somewhat since a precocious victory over Djokovic in the 2022 Paris Masters final. “He has probably every shot that you can have in tennis. Probably he knows that sometimes he’s not consistent in the beginning of tournaments, but when he’s deep there, he’s a tough player to beat. I need to play well.”
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