British No.1 tennis star Jack Draper has reached the Indian Wells semi-finals with a superb 6-4 7-5 victory over American star Ben Shelton.
The 23-year-old is now set for a mouth-watering showdown with Wimbledon and French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.
Draper has been in fine form out in California – beating Taylor Fritz in the last 16 – and secures a ATP Masters 1000 semi-final spot for the first time.
The Briton came out on top in a narrow first set and produced a fightback in the second set after falling behind 0-3 against big-hitter Shelton.
Draper eventually got the job done in straight sets to eliminate three Americans in a row at the prestigious ATP Tour event in the United States.
‘I didn’t know what to expect today, honestly,’ Draper said after his victory over Shelton.
‘I’d hit with Ben maybe once or twice, but very short practices. I’ve obviously watched a lot of him, he’s an incredible showman [with] weapons … can hit a winner from anywhere.
‘The serve’s obviously huge. He’s a great competitor and he’s been really consistent.
‘I knew coming out here facing him on this court in front of the Americans was going to be really difficult today and it was.
‘Huge respect to him, huge credit to him. He’s going to keep on winning, keep on having an amazing career.’
Draper will move into the top 10 for the first time in his career if he manages to produce a shock win over Alcaraz in his next match.
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‘It means so much to me,’ Draper added. ‘It’s why I’m playing, why I put all the hard work in with my team, to play these matches on these courts and especially in a place like this.
‘It’s what I’ve wanted since I was a kid and to be here now is a bit surreal.’
Alcaraz currently leads Draper 3-1 in their head-to-head, with the Spanish superstar knocking the Brit out of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Draper, though, knows he can beat Alcaraz when playing at his very best, having defeated him at Queen’s Club last year.
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