Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper put on atypical performances during their latest Indian Wells match. The pair were also dragged into a ball-bounce controversy after the chair umpire made a contentious call.
Alcaraz and Draper locked horns for the fifth time in their careers in the semifinals of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Saturday, March 15. Both players were in fine form leading up to their anticipated clash, having not conceded a single set against any of their previous opponents. However, both players played less than their best when they shared the court, resulting in a bizarre 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 scoreline in Jack Draper’s favor.
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Here’s a look at how the strange match unfolded:
Carlos Alcaraz couldn't get rid of his nerves at Indian Wells, leaving Jack Draper "shocked"
Carlos Alcaraz was chasing his third Indian Wells title on the trot this year. He felt optimistic about his chances at a three-peat, noting that he loves the court, the balls, and the weather conditions at the tournament, despite the extreme wind.
However, on Saturday, the Spaniard had less than ideal preparations. In his post-loss press conference, he revealed that he was battling extreme “nerves” throughout the day in anticipation of facing an in-form Draper, who, according to him, was far from his best during the semifinal.
"Today has been a difficult day for me. I didn't practice well. I didn't feel myself well on court," he said. "I was nervous during the whole day."
"I always say that I have to be focused on myself, on my own game. I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself," he added. "Since morning, I was thinking about his game, because he's really tough, really solid, and it's going to be a really physical match. I was thinking all these things and I think that’s a big problem."
Draper required just 23 minutes to establish a set lead over the defending champion, breaking him twice during the set. Alcaraz dished out a staggering 13 unforced errors alongside a forgettable 38% of first serves made.
The Spaniard, who called his first-set performance “one of the worst” he’s had in his career, “shocked” his opponent with his below-par level. Draper told Sky Sports:
"Obviously, I’ve watched a lot of Carlos here in Indian Wells. I was expecting him to come out with all guns blazing but it was kind of the opposite in the first set. I was a bit shocked. He gave me a few errors. I was playing some solid tennis but honestly there were a lot of errors."
Jack Draper lost his concentration after Carlos Alcaraz's bizarre display
In the second set, Jack Draper created a breakpoint opportunity in the very first game but was unable to capitalize on it.
The 23-year-old, who was broken in the next game, failed to challenge his opponent thereafter, gifting Alcaraz two more breaks to close the set without a single game won.
"I had a chance but then I just completely lost concentration; I lost – I felt the moment; the energy just being sucked from my body. And I lost my way for about 25 minutes. Yeah, I don’t know," he said.
Chair umpire's intervention that led to controversy
The third set began with both Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper holding their first service games. Controversy erupted in the third game of the final set when chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani halted a crucial rally at 1-1, 15-15, during Alcaraz’s serve.
He claimed that after the Spaniard executed a drop shot, his opponent failed to get the ball on his racquet before it bounced the second time. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old had already returned Draper’s shot unsuccessfully.
Jack Draper, unhappy with the decision, promptly asked for the VAR review, which proved that he had reached the ball before a double bounce. Lahyani overturned his initial decision and asked for a replay, which was again contested by the Brit, who claimed that he should've been awarded the point, as, according to him, Carlos Alcaraz had produced an error while returning his shot.
"I didn't see if it was one bounce or two bounces at the beginning. So I was just waiting for the review," Carlos Alcaraz told the press. "With the second review, it was in the middle of the point or after I hit it, I wasn't sure enough. I didn't hear (the umpire) while I was hitting the ball, but I wasn't sure enough to say something."
After a second VAR review, the chair umpire tilted his decision in Draper’s favor, awarding him the point.
"I asked Carlos at the net whether he felt like Mohamed, when he interrupted, affected Carlos' shot, because he missed it," the Brit explained in his press conference. "But he said it didn't, so I think the call was right."
The player eventually broke the two-time champion in the game. He broke the Spaniard again in the seventh game but was unable to consolidate the second break when he first served for the match. Draper eventually came up trumps at the second time of asking.
This was Jack Draper’s second win over Carlos Alcaraz in the past 12 months, having secured his first-ever win at the Queen’s Club Championships in 2024, where the Spaniard was again the defending champion. The Brit didn’t win that tournament, but he would hope for a different outcome at Indian Wells as he takes on 2022 Paris Masters champion Holger Rune in Sunday’s final.
