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Jack Draper celebrates his win at Indian Wells - Matthew Stockman
Jack Draper forced his way into his first Masters 1000 semi-final, overcoming the venomous power and vibrant athleticism of his young American opponent Ben Shelton.
In a pulsating match, Draper faced a searching inquisition from Shelton’s all-action game. He found himself returning the biggest serves on the tour: 143mph monsters that kicked high off the court. And yet, while Shelton hits the ball with eye-watering force, it was Draper who had the greater finesse when it mattered.
The key statistic was the mere nine unforced errors that he committed in this 6-4, 7-5 victory. To keep such a tight ship, when the ball was travelling back and forth at astronomical pace, was a remarkable feat.
Draper also enjoyed a couple of small slices of fortune. One was the ricked neck that Shelton suffered after launching himself with typical whole-heartedness into a mighty overhead. This interrupted Shelton’s most dominant spell – a three-game streak at the start of the second set – in which his forehand was truly frightening.
Shelton never looked genuinely incapacitated, and seemed to recover well after a medical time-out. But it was a conveniently timed interruption, which allowed Draper to break back, halt the American’s momentum, and take the sting out of a partisan Californian crowd.
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Draper returns with a backhand volley - Clive Brunskill
The second lucky moment arrived in the penultimate game as Shelton’s serve came under pressure. He was interrupted between first and second serves by a piece of plastic floating across the court in the wind. By the time the bag had been caught by a spectator, the tension of the moment had built, and Shelton was unable to control Draper’s strong return. A minute or two later, Draper was serving for the match.
Even in that final game, Draper went 0-30 down, but remained immaculately poised as he made all the right strategic choices. The final four points turned his way in a rush, steering him across the line against his fellow left-hander.
“It means so much to me,” Draper said in his on-court interview. “This is why I put all the hard work in with my team, to play these matches. I’ve dreamed of this since I was a kid, but I want more.”
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Shelton delivered some the biggest serves on the tour - PATRICK T. FALLON
Asked about the experience of playing Shelton, who is one of the most dynamic performers in the game, Draper replied “He’s an incredible showman, can hit a winner from anywhere. I knew on this court in front of the American support it was going to be difficult.”
Difficult is perhaps an understatement, and yet once again Draper controlled the tempo of the match. Just like at last year’s US Open, he has reached the semi-finals without dropping a set.
Asked about his increasingly selective approach to scheduling, which involved sitting out the last big ATP event in Dubai, Draper cited the hip injury which bothered him during the off-season. “After Australia I was thinking my body is not quite right,” he said. “Then in Doha I picked up some momentum, and I’ve felt good since I got here.”
Draper started this tournament two places behind Shelton in the world rankings, at No14 to his opponent’s No12, but that order will now be reversed.
It is Shelton who is the new No14, while Draper will climb to either No11 or No12 if he loses his semi-final. Should he win, and become the first Briton to reach the Indian Wells final since Cameron Norrie four years ago, he will also break the world’s top ten for the first time.
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