No sets dropped! Jack Draper powers past Ben Shelton into his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final

Jack Draper overcame a tough challenge against home favourite Ben Shelton, winning 6-4, 7-6(5) to make his debut in the Indian Wells semi-finals. In this battle of lefties, the world No. 14 was sharper in key moments, securing his first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final appearance.

This marks Draper’s third consecutive victory over an American (Brooksby, Fritz, and Shelton), and he has yet to drop a set in the tournament. His next challenge will be against the winner of Francisco Cerúndolo and Carlos Alcaraz.

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First Set

A tight contest was expected between two of the tour’s most imposing servers. Both left-handers were aiming for their first Masters 1000 semi-final and a chance to stay in the hunt for a Top 10 spot.

In the opening game, Draper put pressure on Shelton, creating a break point, though he couldn’t convert. Both players held their serves comfortably, but Draper looked slightly more commanding. A crucial break opportunity came in the seventh game, and the British No. 1 seized it, taking the lead.

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From there, Draper’s serve was simply untouchable. Shelton, the world No. 14, managed to win just three points on Draper’s serve. The Brit’s aggressive play proved decisive, hitting 11 winners to Shelton’s seven, while the American made 15 unforced errors to Draper’s seven. Without much trouble, Draper closed the set 6-4.

Second Set

Although Draper seemed nearly impenetrable on serve, Shelton found his rhythm early in the second set, earning his first break to go 3-0 up. Both players had their chances in the opening games, but it was the American who capitalised first.

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Still, the talented Brit didn’t take long to break back, levelling the score at 3-3. From there, both held serve until 5-5, making a tiebreaker look inevitable.

At 5-5, a double fault at 30-15 hinted at Shelton’s nerves, and Draper pounced on the opportunity to apply pressure. Unfortunately for Shelton, another double fault on break point sealed his fate. Draper held firm, overcoming a 0-30 deficit in his final service game to close out the match 6-4, 7-5.

With the win, Draper remains undefeated in sets this tournament and now awaits either Francisco Cerúndolo or two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. The victory also propels Draper to world No. 11 — just one win away from his first-ever Top 10 appearance.

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