Brit pair on fire with wins to IW quarters

Jack Draper and Cam Norrie put their Indian Wells Masters credentials on display as they each battled into the quarter-finals.

Draper, the defending champion here in the Californian desert, completed a comeback over Novak Djokovic, stunning the veteran five-time tournament titleholder 4-6 6-4 7-6 (5) over more than two and a half hours,

Norrie, the winner five years ago, accounted for Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-2.

Draper victory over the 38-year-old Djokovic solidified his comeback form an arm problem which left him short of matches after ending his 2025 season at the US Open.

The No. 14 had lost to Djokovic in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon and now faces a huge test against top seed Carlos Alcaraz..

“To beat Novak is something that is mind-blowing,” Draper told the BBC. 
“I’ve watched him since I was a kid, idolising him. Unbelievable respect for the player that he is.

“I still want to play better, and feel better on the court, but I think for how long I have had off the court to come here and play three tough matches already and play that one, it’s huge for me.”

Draper added: “It’s something I will probably look back on in a few months and think this is a real big moment for me.”

The Brit called his win, “a real physical battle, there were definitely a lot of ups and downs in the match, – to come through is something I will never forget.”

Djokovic was competing for the first time since losing the Australian Open title against Alcaraz.

Draper went up an early break against Djokovic in the deciding set but lost it as the Serb levelled at 5 games each, eventually forcing a tiebreaker which Draper won on his first match point to a gut-busting struggle.

Draper now has only hours to prepare for his quarter-final against Dubai winner (by walkover) Daniil Medvedev.

Norrie may have his chances against world No. 1  Alcaraz, with the Brit having won three of their last five matches, including last November at the Paris Masters.

Alcaraz remains an undefeated 16-0 this season, having dropped only five sets.

Norrie has had a hit hre with Jannik Sinner and feels ready to take on Spain’s Alcaraz. 

“We (he and Sinner) had the centre court and it was meant to be two hours, but we were both having an unreal practice and both enjoying it,” Norrie said to the BBC.

“He’s like, ‘No, come on man, let’s keep going’. I had something to do for the tournament and he had a photoshoot to do, and he was just like, ‘Cancel that’.

“I had to text my agent and postpone my thing and we kept going. I think we played about three hours and 20 minutes.

“That really got me going for the tournament and that set the tone really high.”

Main photo:-Novak Djokovic congratulates Jack Draper – by ATPTour.com