Photo credit: Tony Chang/Chang Photography
Hurling a roundhouse right hand in the air, Jack Draper celebrated majestic knockout with emphatic expression.
Riding a menacing first-serve and commanding first strike, Draper toppled 2022 champion Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4 to storm into his third career Masters 1000 quarterfinal at Indian Wells today.
The left-handed Draper delivered the last word on first serve.
Draper drilled eight aces, won 32 of 35 first-serve points and face just one break point in a superb 78-minute victory.
Opening up a 7-5, 5-1 lead, Draper’s only mis-step today came when he serve for the match at 5-3 only to double fault away the break.
On his second attempt to serve it, Draper spun a pair of aces to close his third victory in five meetings vs. Fritz.
It is Draper’s third career Top 5-win and first since he upset Carlos Alcaraz on the grass of Queen’s Club last June after the Spaniard’s rousing run to the Roland Garros championship.
Hall of Famer Monica Seles was in the Stadium 1 crowd to see Draper seize complete command in the latter stages of the opening set.
The first set was deadlocked at 4-all when Draper reeled off 12 of the next 14 points, breaking for 6-5 and serving out a one-set lead.
Lasering his lefty forehand into the corners, Draper was calling the shots at the outset of the second set.
Fritz sprayed successive forehands as Draper scored his third straight break blowing open a 7-5, 3-0 lead.
Rarely do you see Fritz beaten thoroughly in toe-to-toe baseline exchanges on hard court.
Today, the third-seeded American struggled to reach the direction of the Draper forehand as the Briton repeatedly blasted that stroke down the line.
Serve-and-volleying, Draper slammed a smash to go up 7-5, 5-1.
Though Fritz went down fighting, springing through a three-game run, Draper served it out on his second attempt.
Draper, who opened the tournament schooling Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-0, has now beaten two Californians in a row—Jenson Brooksby and Fritz—and will face his third straight American opponent in Ben Shelton for a semifinal spot.
Australian Open semifinalist Shelton saved three of four break points conquering compatriot and San Diego native Brandon Nakashima 7-6(6), 6-1.
The 22-year-old Shelton is the youngest American man to make the Indian Wells quarterfinals since a 21-year-old Andy Roddick did it back in 2004.