Defending champion Jack Draper has claimed one of the biggest wins of his career by beating Djokovic in a deciding-set tie-break after two hours and 35 minutes at the Indian Wells.
Draper, who trailed after dropping the opener 6–4, stormed into the second set by breaking Djokovic early and surviving multiple break points before sealing it with aggressive baseline play.
Djokovic won a stunning 26-shot rally at 30-all in the opening game of the decider, but Draper surged to leads of 3-1 and 5-3 before the 38-year-old Serb battled back to 5-5 and then broke the Briton as he first served for the match.
The 24-year-old kept his composure, forced the tie-break, and dominated it to close out a statement victory.
"I still don't feel like I'm playing anywhere near the way I want to play," Draper said in an on-court interview.
"I came out here tonight, and I won that match through determination, trying to problem-solve and do my best and have a great attitude.
"I'm proud of the way I regrouped. I haven't been playing on the tour (in) a long time, so to put away guys who are top players, it's something that comes with confidence."
Draper will next face Russian 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2 6-4 in a commanding performance, needing just one hour and 27 minutes to dismantle the American and maintain his strong form after winning last month's Dubai Open.
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