Jack Draper continued his impressive comeback from an arm injury by beating Francisco Cerundolo to set up a last-16 match with Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells.
Draper capitalized on his luck late in the second set to complete a 6-1, 7-5 win and set up his first meeting with Djokovic since taking the first set over the defending champion in his 2021 Wimbledon debut.
Draper, now 24, returned from an eight-month absence from the ATP Tour in Dubai last week, and his victory over Cerundolo was the first time he has won consecutive matches at the same tournament since Queen’s last June.
Draper told Sky Sports: “I’m only just getting to the point where I can play without pain in my arm, so it’s not easy to be really confident. I’ve obviously played a bit but I have to accept that my tennis won’t quite be there for a while.”
Draper romped through the first set but was sorely tested at the end of the second set as Cerundolo served to level the score at 5-4 before dropping serve twice in succession as the Brit went one step further in key moments.
Draper said he would have to raise his game for his rematch against Djokovic, who reached the fourth round for the first time since 2017 after squeezing past Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Draper added: “I’ve been watching him since I was a young boy and in my opinion he’s the greatest player of all time. When you face him you know he’s going to be there mentally, you know he’s going to make it an incredibly tough match and play some crazy tennis. I have to be ready for that.”
Draper’s compatriot Cameron Norrie, the 2021 champion, also reached the fourth round with a stunning 6-4, 6-4 victory against world number 6 Alex de Minaur. He will meet Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, who upset 10th seed Alexander Bublik 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-3.
Sonay Kartal kept British interest in the women’s singles alive as she recovered from losing the first set to defeat 15th seed Madison Keys.
The former Australian Open champion took the first set 6-2, but the British No. 2 took the next two 6-2, 6-3 to complete the victory in just under two hours.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek eased past Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2, while Elena Svitolina defeated Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-2.
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