Indian Wells (USA), March 15 Top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters after his British opponent Jack Draper withdrew due to injury.
The Spaniard led Jack Draper 6-2, 2-0 when the Briton was forced to retire with an abdominal injury that first affected him in Monday’s win over Andy Murray.
In the pair’s second ATP head-to-head meeting, both had early highlights, but Alcaraz had more success in regular-season scoring as he took an early lead, serving in the opening game. China escaped 0/40 on Tuesday night with a timely power attack.
As the game progressed, Draper’s abdominal problems hindered his serve and movement. He scored just one point in the first two games of the second set before retiring to give Alcaraz his 101st tour-level victory after a visit from the physio between the sets.
After a respectful handshake and a few warm words online, Alcaraz wrote on the TV cameras: “Get well soon, Jack!!”
“I felt the ball was really good. I’m really happy with that part. I’d say I came back really well, I hit the ball really well. I finished the game with confidence in my shot to get a better shot. Confident to get to the next round,” Alcaraz was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour.
The 19-year-old Spaniard next faces either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Tommy Paul in his bid to return to the semi-finals.
–IANS
BC/Acre
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