Indian Wells (USA), March 15 () Top seed Carlos Alcaraz moved into the quarterfinal of the Indian Wells Masters after his British opponent Jack Draper retired midway with an 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 late in his Monday win against Andy Murray.
In the pair’s second ATP Head-to-Head meeting, both men produced highlight-reel shots early, but Alcaraz had more success in the routine points as he took an early lead, escaping 0/40 in his opening service game with timely power plays on Tuesday night.
As the match wore on, Draper’s abdominal issue hampered his serve and his movement. After a visit from the physio in between sets, he won just one point in the first two games of the second set before retiring to give Alcaraz his 101st tour-level win.
After a respectful handshake and some warm words on the net, Alcaraz wrote well-wishes on the TV camera: “Get well soon Jack!!”
“I felt the ball really well. I’m really happy with that part. I would say I returned well, I hit great shots. I finished the match with confidence in my shots, to come into the next round with more confidence,” Alcaraz was quoted as saying by the ATP tour.
The 19-year-old Spaniard will face Felix Auger-Aliassime or Tommy Paul next in his bid to return to the semifinals.
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