Match report: Jack Draper v Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-0 (Indian Wells - Round of 64)

Jack Draper delivered a convincing win at the BNP Paribas Open, moving past Joao Fonseca of Brazil in straight sets to qualify to the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament at Indian Wells. The British number one came out on top in a battle of strong forehands, in a match that started in a balanced way, only to become a one-sided affair in the second set.

This was Jack Draper’s first match at this year’s Indian Wells, after the 13th seed received a bye in the first round. The 23-year-old last played at the Qatar Open, where he lost the final in three sets against fifth seed Andrey Rublev. At the Australian Open, he played three intense five-set matches before being forced to retire because of a hip injury in the fourth round at 7-5, 6-1 for third seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.

Today’s match was expected to be a lot tighter, with wildcard Joao Fonseca considered a rising star. The Brazilian number one won the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2024, a tournament where the best players 20 years old and younger take part. The 18-year-old won his first ATP title at the Argentina Open, beating fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets back in February.

Fonseca was looking to win back-to-back matches against British players, having beaten Jacob Fearnley in the first round 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. However, he struggled to find solutions against the British number one, who remained more clinical and collected in the big moments during the first set.

Draper converted an early break point in the third game, but Fonseca broke back straightaway, as the British player double faulted on break point.

From here, both players held their serve until 4-4, 30-15, when an unexpected alarm noise led to a brief interruption of the game. This appeared to work against Fonseca, who seemed to lose focus for a moment, enough for Draper to break his serve. The crucial point came at 30-30, when Fonseca’s strong cross-court forehand went out.

Draper came back from 15-40 in the final game of the set to win it 6-4.

The second set went completely in the Briton’s favour, who won nine games in a row to win the match in one hour and fifteen minutes. At 6-4, 5-0, Fonseca got two break points which he failed to capitalise on. Draper saved the second one with an ace, ending Fonseca’s hopes to win at least one game in the second set.

Jack Draper targeted Fonseca’s forehand successfully throughout the match, hitting 19 winners while registering only 16 unforced errors compared to Fonseca’s 31.

The British world number 14 will now face American Jenson Brooksby in the third round, who beat 17th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round 6-4, 6-2. Brooksby, currently ranked 937 in the world, is using his protected ranking to take part in Indian Wells, after almost two years off the tour due to a combination of injuries and a suspension following missed drug tests.

Draper will also be playing doubles at Indian Wells, where he’s partnering with Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac. The pair will face Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig in the round of 32 on Sunday.