What connects Rafael Nadal, Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper? All three claimed a Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells. More importantly, they are on the exclusive list of left-handed players who have won a Masters 1000 title since 2000!
The right-handers have dominated the premium ATP events in the previous 25 years. However, Nadal “stole” 36 titles from them, standing as the second most successful player at this level. Cameron Norrie joined him with the Indian Wells triumph in 2021.
Four years later, another Briton, Jack Draper, joined the charts as another left-hander with the Masters 1000 glory.
Draper reached the ATP 500 Doha final and gathered a boost ahead of Indian Wells. The Sutton native faced a stern test in the second round, with the 18-year-old Joao Fonseca standing across the net. However, the Briton took charge and bageled the young gun in the second set for a convincing start.
Jack played against Jenson Brooksby in the second round and earned a 7-5, 6-4 victory. The seeded player lost serve once and provided three breaks to emerge at the top. Draper faced the former champion Taylor Fritz in the last 16.
The younger player provided another 7-5, 6-4 win after breaking the American’s serve three times. In another similar encounter, Jack toppled Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-5 with three breaks on his tally, playing at a high level and reaching the semi-final.
He faced his good friend and the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz. The Briton ousted the Spaniard 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 for a place in his first Masters 1000 final. They split the opening two sets in under an hour before Jack took charge in the decider.
He forged the advantage and brought the victory home to remain on the title course. Draper battled against Holger Rune in the final and delivered a rock-solid 6-2, 6-2 victory for his career-best moment and the first Masters 1000 title on his tally.
Jack controlled the pace on serve and return. He dropped 12 points in eight service games, avoiding break points and mounting the pressure on the other side. Rune stood miles below that pace, losing almost half of the points in his games and suffering four breaks.
Thus, Draper conquered his first Masters 1000 crown in style, becoming only the third left-hander to achieve that in the previous 25 years.
