Draper Corona with the title A fortnight dreamed in Indian Wells | ATP Tour

Indian Wells

Draper Corona with the title A fortnight dreamed in Indian Wells

Will go up to No. 7, the highest position of his career in the ranking

March 16, 2025

After achieving his first Masters 1000 semifinal, to add two wins against members of the Top 5 and ensure his debut in the top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings, Jack Draper demonstrated this Sunday that his fortnight in Indian Wells had space for a feat equal to or greater than those he had already achieved in recent days in the desert.

Playing in the biggest final of his career, the 23-year-old left over 6-2, 6-2 Danish Holger Rune in the match for the BNP Championship Paribas Open to graduate from Masters 1000 champion and becoming the second British to win this event after Cameron Norrie did in 2021.

“I knew that Holger was going to leave and play a really good tennis, so he needed to be aggressive and play to win from the first ball,” he said after the victory. “I did it wonderful and I didn’t allow him to play, and I felt that I dominated the game very well.”

With his Saturday victory against No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, the current No. 14 of the world had insured for the first time between the top ten, becoming the fifth British to get it after Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman, Andy Murray and Norrie.

The milestone has celebrated it with great authority in the first final of a 1000 or Grand Slam masters between two players born this century. He has needed just an hour and nine minutes to achieve it and before a rival who not only led 1-0 the Lexus ATP Headtohead between them before the duel.

He also came with promotion confidence after victories against hard rivals such as the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev, finalist of this tournament in 2023 and 2024. Before Draper could never feel comfortable on the afternoon of this Sunday and it was clear from the very first game in which the British achieved the break in just his first break point.

Draper’s inertia was so devastating this Sunday that in 37 minutes there was already set and break up (6-2, 1-0) and had not faced opportunities for rupture with her serve. What happened from there was not different. With his serve at risk, the British did not look back on the way to his third title in the ATP Tour (also Stuttgart and Vienna in 2024).

“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect this,” Draper said moments after his victory. “I have dedicated a lot of time and I am very grateful and happy to be here to play, with my healthy body and feeling great. All the work I have done in recent years seems to be paying off in the big stage and I have no words to describe it.”

With this result, Draper will appear in the next update of the PIF ATP Rankings in position No. 7, the highest room of a British. Murray only exceeds him (No. 1), Rusedski (No. 4) and Henman (No. 4). And in Miami, his next event could continue ascending if he takes advantage of the fact that he will only defend 30 points.

“I feel I deserve it, sincerely,” Draper said about his new ranking. “The amount of adversities that I have faced, the amount of sacrifices, the time that all the people around me has dedicated me … It is an emotion to know everything that one has passed and dedicated, and be here now to say that tomorrow I will be the number 7 of the world; I cannot express how much that means for me.”

Rune, on the other hand, ends a crucial fortnight for his trust. He arrived at the tournament without consecutive triumphs since January, and has been signed in the semifinals of his 150 victory in the ATP Tour, and having played his first final since January 2024 in Brisbane.