Jack Draper had already clinched a debut in the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
Now he has accomplished something that is arguably even more important–becoming an Indian Wells champion.
Draper defeated Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday afternoon for the first Masters 1000 title of his career. The 23-year-old Brit fired 10 aces without double-faulting a single time and did not face any break points while cruising to victory in one hour and nine minutes.
“Obviously it feels incredible to win here,” Draper assured. “I have been watching this tournament since I was a young guy, watching all the champions play on this big court. It means the world to me, honestly, to be able to be a champion here. I didn’t think about it until obviously the last ball was done.
“Before the match you’re thinking of all kinds of scenarios in your head, a lot of doubts, thinking that you probably could lose. What makes it even better is…just getting through those doubts and being able to play the final the way I did. I’m really happy, really proud of my achievements this week.”
“Obviously Jack played an amazing tournament and he deserved to win today,” Rune praised. “He was serving amazing, for sure. But I think I could have done my part better. Like the opportunities I had to play aggressive just weren’t good enough. I think [that] was the reason why I lost today, because the few chances I had to make it difficult for him, I didn’t quite take them–because I wasn’t really trusting every shot of my game.”
With a previous career-high ranking of 12th, Draper will climb to No. 8 in the world on Monday. He owns a 13-2 record for his 2025 campaign and is No. 3 in the race to Turin behind only Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. Draper upset Alcaraz in the semifinals on Saturday.
While the left-hander was competing in his first Masters 1000 final, Rune found himself on this stage for the fourth time. The 21-year-old Dane is now 1-3 in such situations, with his lone triumph coming on the indoor hard courts of Paris in 2022.
Rune is up to 12th in the rankings and eighth in the 2025 race.
nice one, JD
Wow, this guy is special. He can achieve a lot.
agreed
JACK! Well done. Overcoming injuries and nerves at last. The future beckons!
And huge congrats to Mirra! Wow! So young, so talented!
yep, just gotta stay healthy