Draper, Fritz's Conqueror at Indian Wells: "I Played a Very High-Level Match"
Jack Draper has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters 1000. In the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday, the British player eliminated Californian Taylor Fritz, the winner of this same tournament three years ago, in two sets (7-5, 6-4).
The world's 14th-ranked player was solid in this match (23 winners, 17 unforced errors, 8 aces, and 3 breaks) and will face Ben Shelton in a left-handed duel in the next round.
In a press conference, the 23-year-old Draper expressed satisfaction with his performance and is already looking ahead to his upcoming match against Shelton, which will take place this Thursday.
"I think I played a very high-level match. I've had issues with my serve in the past at Indian Wells, but I served really well today, and I think that put a lot of pressure on Taylor.
Since I also returned well, everything fell into place as it should. Taylor is someone who, when he's serving and winning his games very quickly, becomes difficult to play against.
In fact, it puts a lot of pressure on our own service games. I'm really happy with how aggressive I was in the key moments, especially at 5-5 in the first set. After that, I was very pleased with how I stayed focused in moments where I could have eased off.
The match against Shelton? He's a very energetic player. I've never faced him before, but I know what kind of competitor he is. I watched him play on Tuesday night, and I saw him hit a serve at 241 km/h.
I don't think I can do what he does at that level! He's a lefty like me, he also wants to break into the top 10, and he's really impressive. It will be both fun and challenging, and I can't wait for it," he told L'Équipe.
