Top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals on Tuesday despite Jack Draper’s withdrawal from their fourth-round match due to a right-side injury.
When Draper, who had been treated by a physiotherapist, called a halt after 46 minutes on the court, Spain’s Alcaraz, who can return to the top of the world with a third ATP Masters 1000 title this week, was leading 6-2, 2-0.
Alcaraz stated, “This is not the way anybody wants to win a match, because something is wrong.” All I can say is that I hope he gets better soon.
After winning the US Open so quickly, 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man to ever reach the top spot in the world for men. But he has fallen behind Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic after suffering an abdominal injury late last year and missing the Australian Open with a leg injury.
Due to his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Djokovic is unable to travel to the United States this week. Alcaraz won in Buenos Aires last month and finished runner-up in Rio de Janeiro, where he suffered a strained hamstring that forced him to withdraw from Acapulco.
Despite Draper’s lack of resistance, he appeared to be in excellent form in Indian Wells.
Draper, who defeated childhood hero Andy Murry in the third round, had a disappointing week.
Petra Kvitova beat Jessica Pegula, a third-ranked American, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (13/11) on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells for the first time in seven years after saving four match points.
Kvitova, a previous world number two presently positioned fifteenth on the planet, will attempt to make her most memorable Indian Wells semi-last in her twelfth appearance when she requires on last year’s second place Maria Sakkari.
I was up and down throughout the match with all kinds of emotions; at one point, it was a disaster, but then I was just winning.
In 2013 and 2016, Kvitova, who is 33 years old, reached the California desert quarterfinals.
The American turned things around after she won the first set against Pegula, who had come back from a set down in both of her previous matches.
Be that as it may, Pegula couldn’t get done with the task. Pegula was broken in the 10th game of the third set by Kvitova, who saved a match point.
In order to reach a tiebreaker that was always tied, they traded two more service breaks. At 6-5, Pegula had the first opportunity, but Kvitova won the subsequent two points to earn a match point.
It went on like this until Kvitova won the match point with a brave serve and volley. I was aware that Jessica wouldn’t be absent. I know that no matter what I do, I will always struggle in the third and try to recover. I simply had to pursue it regardless. When things are tight, going for it is extremely difficult.”