Carlos Alcaraz arrived at Indian Wells with the possibility of making history. He could've become the third player in history to lift the trophy in three consecutive editions. Winner in 2023 and 2024, only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have managed to achieve it so far.
The loss in the semifinals against Jack Draper by 1-6, 6-0 and 4-6 prevents him from having a chance to do so. Next, we are going to analyze a little bit the keys of the match and the main reasons why Carlitos was eliminated.
To begin with, he did not enter the game well at all. He made numerous mistakes and found himself in front of a sharp and determined Draper. The British player was playing to enter for the first time in the Top 10 in the world and it showed from the beginning.
The second set was the opposite. Draper was no longer able to hit hardly a first serve and was not doing any damage with one of his main weapons. In addition, Alcaraz also raised his level of play considerably.
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The third set was the most evenly matched and the one with the most changes. It started with a lot of equality, both players dominated their first service game. However, a controversy changed everything. The reputed and experienced Swedish umpire Mohamed Lahyani called a double pot that was not.
Draper arrived forced to a drop shot by Carlitos, but managed to lift the ball before it bounced for the second time. But Lahyani called the double bounce and the point went to review. In the video it was clear that the Englishman arrived in time and that the world number 3 missed the shot afterwards.
He might have been annoyed by the chair umpire's shout, but Lahyani indicated that the announcement had been late and that the point was going to Draper. From that point on, it was as if Carlos had forgotten to play tennis for several minutes.
Draper took advantage of this to break serve and take a 5-2 lead. As he has shown on more than one occasion, he can get nervous at important moments and Alcaraz cut the deficit to 5-4.
Instead, this time he was solid enough to take the match. The Spaniard started from too far away to attempt an incredible comeback. Finally, it will be the new world Top 10 player who will play his first ATP Masters 1000 final against Holger Rune.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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