Jack Draper survives tough battle against local favourite Jenson Brooksby in Indian Wells

Jack Draper overcame a tough challenge against home player Jenson Brooksby in Indian Wells, winning 7-5, 6-3. The British No. 1 was the clear favourite against the World No. 937 – who is making his return after a one-year suspension – but it was not an easy task to reach the Round of 16.

The American was already a major surprise in the third round. His opening-round victory over Benjamin Bonzi was notable, but the real shock came in the second round when he eliminated 17th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 win. Brooksby is one of the most talented players on tour, and at 24, he is certainly one to watch as he makes his comeback season.

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First Set

The American made an early statement by breaking Draper in the opening game. Showing solid serving, he raced to a 3-0 lead in under 15 minutes. Draper began to show signs of frustration while searching for a break. At 2-4, 40-40, Draper missed a shot by a narrow margin and slammed his racket to the ground in frustration, though just moments later, he managed to secure the break that reignited his hopes.

At 5-5, Brooksby’s lack of match rhythm showed under pressure. After facing three break points, he eventually surrendered the advantage to Draper, who then closed out the set with his serve, winning 7-5. Draper struggled with a poor 50% first-serve percentage, while Brooksby managed 61%.

The American played aggressively, hitting 12 winners and committing 20 unforced errors, compared to Draper’s 9 winners and 13 unforced errors.

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Second Set

Brooksby started the second set on serve and looked composed. Until 3-3, Draper had won only three return points, while Brooksby had won just one. However, things changed dramatically in the seventh game when Brooksby played a sloppy service game, including a double fault, ultimately handing Draper the decisive break.

Draper needed just that one break to take control and held his serve comfortably to seal a 7-5, 6-4 victory in a hard-fought match. Draper continues to be impressive with his service even when the courts aren't quite as fast. He took 77% of service points and 43% from the return, good numbers for the 23 year old Brit.

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Encouraging signs for Brooksby, who has everything it takes to climb the rankings again. For now, he has jumped nearly 400 spots and will be ranked around World No. 543 at the end of the tournament. As for Draper, he now awaits the winner of the match between American World No. 4 Taylor Fritz and Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (30th seed), set to take place a few hours later.

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