Jack Draper upsets Carlos Alcaraz to reach Indian Wells final

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Tennis throws curveballs sometimes, and sometimes they come in bunches.

Jack Draper upset Carlos Alcaraz on his favorite court in the world Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, sprinting to a lead and weathering an Alcaraz blitz, then holding it together and letting Alcaraz play just loose enough to give him the opening to break the Spanish champion who had not lost here in nearly three years.

By the end, Alcaraz was surging once more, but Draper, the big-serving lefty from Britain, rode his power to the biggest win of his career.

Alcaraz was rolling through a comeback until the chair umpire called a double bounce on a ball that Draper scrambled to get to. After Draper called for a video review, the call was reversed, and since Alcaraz had missed the ensuing shot, he lost the point. The lengthy debate seemed to stop Alcaraz’s momentum.

Alcaraz suddenly lost the steadiness and flow he’d found early in the second set, allowing him to recover from the loss of six of the first seven games. In a flash, he lost his serve twice after the muffed call.

Draper wobbled, losing his serve on his first attempt to close out the match, but settled down on his second attempt and finished the two-time defending champion 6-1, 0-6, 6-4.

Draper’s win sets up a surprise final against Holger Rune, who upset Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the first match of the day.

“Incredible,” Draper said, “to beat Carlos Alcaraz on this court.”

The win puts Draper into the top 10 for the first time in his career. “I got a bit tight in the end, but I got through in the end,” he said.

This story will be updated.

(Photo: Andy Abeyta / The Desert Sun / USA Today Network via Imagn Images )