INDIAN WELLS, California — In a thrilling fourth-round showdown at the BNP Paribas Open, defending champion Jack Draper triumphed over five-time winner Novak Djokovic with scores of 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday evening.
The 24-year-old Draper, making a formidable comeback after an eight-month hiatus due to an arm injury, secured his spot in the quarterfinals. He will now face Daniil Medvedev, who advanced by defeating Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Djokovic held a 6-5 lead in the nail-biting third set before Draper dug deep and managed to force a tiebreaker.
“I still feel like I’m not quite at my best yet,” Draper shared. “I came out here and won that match driven by sheer determination.”
Alongside his victory at Indian Wells last year, Draper also captured titles at the Stuttgart Open and the Vienna Open in 2024.
The seasoned Djokovic, at 38 years old and a 24-time Grand Slam champion, lifted the Indian Wells trophy in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Earlier this year, he narrowly missed out on claiming an 11th Australian Open title, falling to Carlos Alcaraz.
