Jack Draper continued his impressive comeback from an arm injury by beating Francisco Cerundolo to set up a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells.
Draper rode his luck at the end of the second set to clinch a 6-1, 7-5 win and set up his first meeting with Djokovic since he took the first set off the defending champion on his Wimbledon debut in 2021.
Draper, now 24, returned from an eight-month absence from the ATP Tour in Dubai last week, and his win over Cerundolo marked the first time he has won successive matches at the same tournament since Queen’s last June.
Draper told Sky Sports: “I’m only just getting to the point where I’m playing without pain in my arm, so it’s not easy to feel really confident. Obviously I’ve been playing a little bit, but I’ve got to accept that my tennis isn’t going to be completely there for a while.”
Draper breezed through the first set but was severely tested at the tailend of the second as Cerundolo served to level the tie before dropping serve twice in succession as the Briton stepped up at the key moments.
Draper said he would have to raise his game for his long-awaited rematch with Djokovic, who reached the fourth round for the first time since 2017 after squeezing past Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Draper added: “I’ve been watching him since I was a young boy and in my opinion he’s the greatest player of all time. When you come up against him you know he’s going to be there mentally, you know he’s going to make it an incredibly tough match and play some crazy tennis. I’m going to have to be ready for that.”
Draper’s fellow Briton Cameron Norrie, the 2021 champion, also reached round four with a superb 6-4, 6-4 win against the world No 6 Alex de Minaur.