Draper Overcomes Slow Start to Progress
British number one Jack Draper overcame a challenging opening set and feelings of being "a little bit underprepared" after an eight-month injury hiatus to begin his Indian Wells title defence with a victory.
Fellow Briton Sonay Kartal also secured a win in the women's singles, defeating 20th seed Emma Navarro after facing match point earlier in the match.
For Draper, an early break of serve in the third set proved pivotal, allowing the 24-year-old to gain a crucial advantage. He ultimately defeated Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6 6-3 6-2 to advance to the third round.
Having only returned to the ATP Tour the previous week following a layoff caused by bone bruising in his left serving arm, Draper—who received a first-round bye—struggled with consistency early but found momentum at the start of the second set.
The world number 14 carried that momentum into the third set, building a 5-2 lead.
Despite Bautista Agut's determined effort to break back to love, Draper rallied impressively, saving three break points to secure the win.
Speaking on court to Sky Sports, Draper remarked:
"It was good to be back somewhere I have great memories."
"At the same time I was a little bit underprepared because of the amount of tennis I have missed.
"I was coming out today against a really formidable opponent. The first set was a bit edgy, but then I have managed to find a little bit of spark."
Describing the victory as "massive," Draper added:
"The injury I had, it wasn't like a couple of weeks. It was eight months.
"I feel a little bit off. My levels in practice are always good, but when it comes to the match court, I am definitely a bit in and out with my consistency."
Draper won his first Masters 1,000 trophy last year by defeating Holger Rune in the final. However, his breakout year was significantly curtailed after reaching a world ranking of four.
With many ranking points to defend, an early loss upon his return to California could have resulted in him dropping out of the top 30.
Draper noted that he has probably done more serving during his injury layoff than at any other point in his career, though it was not always a reliable weapon against Bautista Agut.
His strong start to the second set was the turning point of the match. Despite showing signs of rust, Draper won the deciding set comfortably, saving all five break points against him.
Draper's next opponent is Francisco Cerundolo, who prefers clay courts. Cerundolo has won both of their previous encounters. Clay-court specialists often perform well at Indian Wells due to the gritty surface, which can slow the ball and produce a higher bounce.
Kartal Advances in Tight Match
Sonay Kartal took the first set of her match decisively, winning 6-1.
However, she lost the second set 6-3 after taking a medical timeout due to "a bit of a twitch" in her back.
In a closely contested third set, Navarro—who is a former top 10 player—served twice for the match, but Kartal prevailed 7-6 (7-2).
After the match, Kartal told Sky Sports:
"I was super proud to have fought my way through to round three, where I will play Madison Keys or Diane Parry."
"[I had] little niggles here and there. I think I just landed a bit funny on serve and had a bit of a twitch in my back.
"That made me lose a lot of power, I was struggling to generate anything off my shots. I had to dig deep."
