Draper blunts Fonseca threat in Indian Wells opener, former champ Fritz advances

Jack Draper put an abrupt end to Joao Fonseca’s BNP Paribas Open debut on Saturday with a high-quality 6-4, 6-0 win to advance in Indian Wells.

The 13th seed showed his class to neutralise the threat of the #NextGenATP star and book his spot in the third round at the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year. Pitted against the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion, Draper rode a mid-match momentum shift, in which he reeled off nine consecutive games before sealing a 75-minute victory.

“It feels great,” Draper said. “Obviously, there has been a lot of [noise] around Joao and you saw it today. The kid is an unbelievable player, such firepower and I think what he’s bringing to the sport — all the fans of his attitude and way of tennis, for such a young guy — it’s so good. To have another young guy who’s a superstar, it’s good for the Tour and I am sure he’s going to be a top, top player very soon.”

Real steal ⛓️

No. 13 seed @jackdraper0 passes the Fonseca challenge in emphatic fashion and books his spot in the third round. @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/cSdfVhG7u1

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 8, 2025

In breezy conditions in the California desert, both players struggled to find their form in the early stages of their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, but it was Draper who found his rhythm first and was ultimately able to maintain it. The Briton dealt with Fonseca’s bruising forehand with ease and showcased his own remarkable ability to turn defence into attack during the contest.

While Fonseca has been enjoying a rapid rise in recent times, highlighted by his maiden tour-level title in Buenos Aires last month, Draper has cemented himself as a Top 20 player, who is approaching a Top 10 breakthrough. The gulf in quality was evident in Saturday’s second-round clash, where the Briton kept his cool and outplayed the 18-year-old from the back of the court.

Draper, the No. 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings, blinked for the first time in the second set when serving out the match. The 23-year-old fired an ace, but followed it up with three double faults, only to come through the game unscathed. In all, he saved six of the seven break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Draper will next face American Jenson Brooksby, who upset in-form Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 2025 ATP Tour wins leader (16). With his 6-4, 6-2 victory, Brooksby notched back-to-back tour-level wins for the first time since the 2023 Australian Open.

World No. 4 and 2022 Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz kickstarted his campaign by ousting Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-5. The California-native was broken when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but produced an emphatic response to claim victory in his ninth appearance in the Indian Wells main draw.

The third-seeded Fritz had not competed since his second-round loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Delray Beach in early February due to an abdominal injury, which forced to withdraw from the ATP 500 in Acapulco.

“I didn’t want to come out expecting too much,” said Fritz, who improved to 21-7 in Indian Wells. “I told myself I had to not be too hard on myself. I was obviously injured before this and didn't get the prep that I really wanted. I had my first hit after taking over a week off on Tuesday, so not ideal before the tournament. But I guess I’m not going to forget how to play… I think I played pretty solid. He’s got nothing to lose, I thought he was really tough.”

Fritz will next face 30th seed Alejandro Tabilo, who eased past Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 7-5.