In Indian Wells, California, there was a surprising turn of events at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open as Jack Draper from Britain took down the tournament’s third seed, Taylor Fritz, in a straight-set victory on Wednesday. This result leaves Ben Shelton as the only American male to advance to the quarterfinals.
Fritz, who claimed the Indian Wells title back in 2022, fell short as Draper clinched the match with scores of 7-5 and 6-4. “I played at a really high level,” Draper commented, reflecting on his performance. “Historically, I’ve struggled with my serve at this venue, but today I felt it was spot on, and that put a lot of pressure on him.”
For Draper, the challenge continues against Shelton. The young American, following in the footsteps of Andy Roddick as the youngest to reach the quarterfinals here since 2004, defeated Brandon Nakashima impressively.
Shelton, only 22, showed his prowess in the second set with a commanding 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory. After battling through a tense first set lasting 61 minutes, he quickly established a 5-0 lead in just 20 minutes during the second.
Seated at number 11, Shelton has never lost a set in his five encounters with his compatriot Nakashima, who is 23 years old.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament’s second seed, has breezed into the quarterfinals without losing a set. The four-time Grand Slam winner easily dispatched Grigor Dimitrov, winning 6-1, 6-1, proving adept at handling the windy conditions that challenged both players.
Dimitrov, showing signs of fatigue from a grueling three-hour match earlier, couldn’t counter Alcaraz, who is aiming to join the ranks of tennis legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by winning the event three consecutive times. “With today’s conditions, survival was key,” Alcaraz told the ATP Tour. “I’m just really happy that I could maintain my rhythm and play long rallies despite the wind.”
In their match, Alcaraz didn’t face a break point in the opening set while Dimitrov’s attempts resulted in a series of unforced errors. Alcaraz, solid in his game, only dropped a handful of first-serve points in the second set and managed to fend off Dimitrov’s three break point opportunities in the fifth game.
Alcaraz’s next opponent will be Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina, who defeated Alex De Minaur of Australia with scores of 7-5, 6-3.
This account was compiled with contributions from the Associated Press and Reuters.
