BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells 2025: Jack Draper beats Holger Rune to win first ATP Masters 1000 title
• 3 MINUTE READ
British No.1 Jack Draper is the new BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells champion after producing a masterclass performance to beat 12th seed Holger Rune in straight sets.
In his first ATP Masters 1000 finals, Draper clinched the biggest title of his career with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory in an hour and 10 minutes.
He’s only the second Briton to win the men’s singles at Indian Wells after Cam Norrie also clinched the biggest prize in his career so far back in 2021.
“It’s incredible,” Draper told Sky Sports after the match. “I wasn’t expecting this. I put in a lot of work over time and I’m so grateful and happy to be out here, to play, for my body to be healthy and the mind. All the work I’ve done over the years, it feels like it’s coming together on the big stage. I can’t put that into words.
“I came out and approached the game well. I knew Holger would come out playing some really good tennis so I had to be aggressive and play to win from the first ball. I did an amazing job of that, I didn’t allow him to play and I dictated the match really well.
In winning the third ATP title of his career – Draper is set to break into the top 10 tomorrow with a new career-high ranking at world No.7.
Draper is the fifth British player to reach the ATP top 10 and to win an ATP Masters 1000 title following on from Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman, Andy Murray and Norrie.
“I feel like I deserve it to be honest (reaching the top 10),” Draper said. “The amount of adversity I’ve been through, the amount of sacrifices, the amount of time that the people around me have put into me, the hard work. It’s an emotional feeling to know what you’ve gone through and put in and now to be able to say that I’m going to be seven in the world tomorrow – I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
Jack Draper's run to the Indian Wells title
- First round: BYE
- Second round: Joao Fonseca (BRA) 6-4, 6-0
- Third round: Jenson Brooksby (USA) 7-5, 6-4
- Fourth round: Taylor Fritz (USA) (3) 7-5, 6-4
- Quarter-final: bt. Ben Shelton (USA) (11) 6-4, 7-5
- Semi-final: Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) (2) 6-1, 0-6, 6-4
- Final: bt. Holger Rune (DEN) (12) 6-2, 6-2
Draper oozed confidence right from the word go in his ATP Masters 1000 final debut. He soaked up the pressure on Rune’s opening service game, forcing the Dane into making four errors for quick early break.
Rune could only look on in disbelief as Draper moved a double break and 3-0 in front – winding up his big lefty forehand to great effect and looking more and more comfortable on each passing game.
The 12th seed finally managed to get himself on the board with a couple of holds but was unable to put Draper’s serve under any threat during the first set. Draper hit seven aces and lost just four points on serve to take a one set lead after 30 minutes.
The stress showed for Rune at the start of the second set. The young Dane hit a double fault on the first point of the set before surrendering his third break of serve to the British No.1.
Rune – who knocked out Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in previous rounds – had to try and make things happen, but Draper was equal to everything the former Paris Masters champion threw at him.
The calls from Draper’s coaching box were for the Brit to target the Rune forehand and it worked to great effect. In trying to push the ball too hard, Rune seemed to lose all confidence in his forehand and a series of errors at 4-2 was the final nail in the coffin - giving Draper the break needed to go on and finish the match in style.
The 2024 US Open semi-finalist leaves the Californian desert having dropped one set in six matches and with wins over two top five players as well as four of the top 12 seeds.
Draper is now one of just four players born after the year 2000 to have won an ATP Masters 1000 title – alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Rune.
