Draper eliminates two-time champion Alcaraz out of his third consecutive final in Indian Wells

British tennis player Jack Draper knocked out Carlos Alcaraz, champion of the last two editions, from the Indian Wells final. Draper will play for the title against Denmark's Holger Rune, who had previously defeated Daniil Medvedev.

Draper prevailed in an intense duel, 6-1, 0-6, 6-4. Yesterday's defeat ended Alcaraz's run of dominance in the Californian desert, where he was on a win streak of 16 straight matches.

End to Alcaraz's dream of emulating Federer and Djokovic at Indian Wells

At 21 years old, Alcaraz was aiming for a three-consecutive championships at this prestigious tournament that only superstars like Roger Federer (2004-2006) and Novak Djokovic (2014-2016) had achieved. "This one hurts. I don't want to lose any match, but this one was even more special for me," he acknowledged in statements picked up by AFP.

Alcaraz, champion of four Grand Slam titles, was off for much of the semifinal, especially in a first set he surrendered in just 23 minutes. Although his reaction allowed him to even the match in the second set, Draper managed to refocus and exhibited physical and mental strength to reach his long-awaited first Masters 1000 final.

Draper benefited from a controversial point that turned the match around

In addition, Draper was the beneficiary of a controversial call that turned out to be key in the end and marked the outcome of the match during the third set. With the game tied 15-15 and the Spaniard on serve, the umpire awarded a point to Alcaraz for an alleged double bounce on Draper's side. The Brit challengeed the decision and kept the point after two video reviews, which Alcaraz accepted with class. From there, Draper then earned the break and accelerated to go ahead 5-2.

Alcaraz resisted defeat by saving the first game on Draper's serve but could not with the second. This loss is the latest stumble of a disappointing start to the season for the Spaniard, who also failed to reach the finals of the Australian Open and Doha (ATP 500). After the match, he revealed that he had been assailed by enormous nerves since the morning for fear of Draper's current level.

Draper reborn after overcoming recurring physical problems

The left-hander from Sutton, who had won two of his previous four matches, seems to have overcome the physical problems that have held back his promising career, and this week he had big wins over American stars Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

The Englishman was trying to savor this victory, and his upcoming entry into the ATP top 10, with less than 24 hours to go before the final against Rune.