BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells 2026: Jack Draper and Cam Norrie miss out on semi-final spots
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Jack Draper’s Indian Wells title defence came to an end in the quarter-finals, while former champion Cam Norrie also lost out on a spot in the final four.
Draper and Norrie were the final British hopes remaining in the men’s singles draw, but both fell short against Grand Slam champions in tricky quarter-final clashes on Thursday night.
Defending champion Draper was bidding to reach the semi-finals for the second year in a row but lost out to Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 7-5, to put an end to his hopes of being crowned a two-time Indian Wells champion.
Meanwhile, Norrie missed out on the chance to seal back-to-back victories against Carlos Alcaraz, with the Brit losing 6-3, 6-4 to the world No.1.
Draper’s title defence brought to an end by Medvedev
Considering Draper was competing in just his second ATP tournament since coming back from an injury lay off, the Brit can take plenty of encouragement from a quarter-final run at Indian Wells.
Less than a day after his epic three-set thriller against 24-time Grand Slam Novak Djokovic, the Brit returned to the court to take on world No.11 Medvedev - but it was clear the Brit was still feeling the effects from his two-and-a-half-hour battle.
A lucky net cord on his second break point of Draper’s opening service game handed Medvedev an immediate break and from there, the 23-time ATP titleholder ran with the momentum - reeling off the next three games in a row to take a 5-0 lead before closing out the set in just 24 minutes.
Draper soon found his level in the second, where he won 79% of points behind his first serve (11/14) compared to just 46% in the opener (6/13). The 2025 Indian Wells champion dug up his first break point opportunity at 3-2, but Medvedev fired down his first of three consecutive aces to hang firm.
The pair continued to fight toe-to-toe but it wasn’t until 5-5 where Medvedev gained the decisive break. In the second point of the game, Draper was called for hindrance after briefly stretching his arms at a disputed line call that was deemed to have distracted Medvedev, with the chair umpire awarding the former world No.1 the point following a video review.
Medvedev went on to break Draper’s serve in that game before serving out the victory on his first match point.
Former champion Norrie defeated by Alcaraz
Norrie had beaten the world No.1 during their second round meeting at the Paris Masters last November and was hoping to recreate that result when he stepped on court for their quarter-final clash in the desert.
Norrie struggled to get a look in on the Alcaraz serve during the early stages of the encounter - winning just one point on his first three return games. The pair traded breaks in the latter stages of the opening set, with three breaks of serve lining the final four games.
While the Brit fought hard to hang in there, it was the seven-time Grand Slam champion who had the final say before firing home a forehand to take a one set advantage.
Norrie looked to spark a comeback early in the second as he confidently raced into a 2-0 lead with a sublime passing shot. The Brit’s lead didn’t last for long, however, with the two-time Indian Wells champion stringing together a run of four consecutive games to edge back in front.
The 30-year-old had the chance to recover the deficit at 4-3 but the Spaniard batted the danger away, before converting his fourth match point to seal victory in an hour and 33 minutes.
Speaking on playing Norrie, Alcaraz said, “I struggle a lot with his style. Every time I play against him it’s always really tough for me. It’s a little bit confusing with his style, his topspin forehand, super high.
“Then the backhand, really flat and really low. Sometimes it’s tricky to play against him.”
The win sees the Spaniard extend their head-to-head to 6-3 and extend his unbeaten streak to 16 matches.
In the men’s doubles draw, Australian Open champions Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison bowed out to Manuel Guinard and Guido Andreozzi 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.
The Brits will now turn their attention to the upcoming Miami Open, which will complete the 2026 'Sunshine Double'.
