Draper stuns Alcaraz, to meet Rune in final

Briton Jack Draper upset the overwhelming favourite Carlos Alcaraz 6-1 0-6 6-4 to reach the Indian Wells final on Saturday, denying the Spaniard in his bid for a rare “three-peat” in the California desert.

Draper beat the world No. 3 at Queen’s Club last year and had the winning formula again this time around, as the lefty relied on his lethal forehand to reach his first Masters 1000-level final, where he will face Denmark’s Holger Rune.

“It was a strange match. You know, honestly Carlos came out, he was a bit flat, I sensed that,” Draper said.

“Against top players in the world, they can change their momentum very quickly so I just got lost out there for 25 minutes and then in the third, I came out, I was really proud of my competitiveness, my attitude and somehow managed to get over the line there in the end.”

Alcaraz had not dropped a set en route to the semis.

He will face an in-form Rune, who beat the Russian Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-4 after losing his last seven semifinal matches. The No. 12 seed had lost to Medvedev in the quarters a year ago.