Double British defeat at Indian Wells

British pair Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie both exit the BNP Paribas Open in the quarter-finals.

Defending champion Jack Draper saw his title defence at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells come to an end after a controversial straight-sets defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. Draper had won the tournament in 2025, beating Holger Rune in the final for his first ATP Masters 1000 title, but he was unable to repeat that success a year later.

Medvedev dominated the early stages of the match, racing through the opening set 6–1 after breaking Draper early and taking a 4–0 lead within the first 15 minutes. The second set was far more competitive, with Draper responding strongly and pushing the Russian to 5–5 as the momentum began to shift.

However, the key moment came at 5–5, 0–15 in the second set when the umpire ruled that Draper had caused a “hindrance” during a rally after raising his arms to dispute a line call. The point, which Draper had effectively won, was instead awarded to Medvedev following a review, a decision that drew boos from the crowd and sparked debate about the ruling. Medvedev soon broke serve and closed out the set 7–5 to seal the victory and end Draper’s title defence.

Despite the controversy, Draper accepted the result after the match, though he disagreed with the decision and insisted the gesture had not distracted his opponent. Medvedev later admitted the situation was awkward but said the call ultimately rested with the umpire.

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6–3, 6–4 to reach the semi-finals, extending his unbeaten start to the season and continuing his strong record at the tournament.

Norrie may have had a slight psychological edge, as he beat Carlos Alcaraz the last time they met at the 2025 Paris Masters in Paris, France.

In that match, played in the second round, Norrie came from a set down to win 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, ending Alcaraz’s long winning streak at Masters level and recording one of the biggest victories of his career.

Trailing 4–2 in the opening set at India Wells, Norrie responded brilliantly, breaking Alcaraz to reduce the deficit to 4–3. However, Alcaraz quickly regained control, producing an immediate break of his own before closing out the set in just 31 minutes.

The world No. 29 made a strong start to the second set, breaking again to surge into a 2–0 lead and briefly putting the pressure back on Alcaraz.

But the Spaniard quickly found his rhythm, reeling off four consecutive games to turn the set around.

Norrie showed resilience by saving two match points on his own serve, yet Alcaraz remained composed and clinically served out the victory to seal the win.