Jack Draper hammers Holger Rune to win first Masters 1000 title

Jack Draper won his first Masters 1000 title on Monday after the Briton beat Denmark’s Holger Rune in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to win the Indian Wells with a place in the top 10 assured for the first time. Playing in his first 1000-level final, Draper bludgeoned his opponent with seven aces in the first set, having hit a forehand winner to break in the first game and outfoxed Rune at the net in the third to go up another break.
Draper, who suffered a lingering hip issue earlier this year, looked in fine touch as he zipped around the court with ease in the final, hitting 21 winners to cap a superb week in the California desert.
Playing in his fourth Masters 1000 final, Rune had the benefit of experience but could never find his rhythm as he made seven winners against 18 unforced errors.
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“I lost first round here last year so I didn’t get to experience the tournament too much,” Draper said after the match. “I would say this is one of my favourite tournaments now.”
Rune’s frustrations boiled over early in the second set, where he shouted at his team before dropping serve in the first game. He handed Draper another break in the penultimate game with a backhand shot that he sent wide.
Dominant Draper
Draper fired a booming forehand shot on match point and smiled towards the stands before kneeling on court with his fs thrust into the air in celebration, clinching it in just one hour and nine minutes.
“Before the match, you know, you’re thinking of all kinds of scenarios in your head, a lot of doubts. “And just what makes it even better is that, you know, just getting through those doubts and being able to play the final the way I did,” he said.Story continues below this ad
Rune made no excuses for his performance, telling the crowd: “It never feels nice not to be able to step over the line, but that’s life sometimes.”
Draper did not have an easy path to the final, having to beat 2022 winner Taylor Fritz in the last 16, and had to contain his nerves after beating back-to-back defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals on Saturday night. He is the first Briton to win the title since Cameron Norrie in 2021 and will be ranked seventh now, after reaching the U.S. Open semi-final last year.
(With inputs from Reuters)