Indian Wells: 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 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.
IANS