Jack Draper knocks out final American man Ben Shelton to reach semifinals at Indian Wells

Jack Draper has played spoiler for the Americans this week at Indian Wells, so it only made sense that he did it again Thursday against Ben Shelton at Indian Wells.

Draper’s 6-4, 7-5 win over Shelton in the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open ended a streak of four consecutive years of having an American man in the semifinals at this event.

In 2021 and 2022, Taylor Fritz reached the semifinals. In 2023, it was Frances Tiafoe, and last year it was Tommy Paul. Shelton could’ve continued the run.

Instead, Draper, who had already beaten American Jenson Brooksby and Fritz, in addition to topping rising star João Fonseca of Brazil in his opening round, advanced in an entertaining match.

Draper, the 13th seed in the draw, will play the winner of Carlos Alcaraz and Francisco Cerúndolo on Saturday.

“Obviously, today was tough conditions,” Draper said. “Really tough opponent. I thought I competed great. I did well to come through that one.”

This marks the first time Draper has reached the semifinals at an ATP Masters 1000 event. Perhaps the only other win of his pro career that was bigger was a quarterfinal victory over Alex de Minaur last year at the U.S. Open.

On Thursday, inside Stadium 2, Shelton, the 13th seed, showed off his powerful serve several times throughout the match, topping out at 143 mph. But he wasn’t as efficient as the 23-year-old Draper. He scored 83% of the points on his first serve, compared to 62% from Shelton, and he scored 75% of the points on his second serve, versus 55% from Shelton.

Draper, who has won eight of his last nine matches, didn’t face a single break point in the first set, and the 22-year-old Shelton saved 1-of-2 that he faced.

In the second set, Draper committed just six unforced errors, compared to 18 for Shelton, and that helped Draper convert 2-of-3 break points and overcome the one that Shelton converted.

“Obviously in tennis you’re in a sport where there is always the next match and you have to prove yourself every time,” Draper said. “Certainly for myself, my mindset, unfortunately that, as well, I feel like I’m never content with anything. I always want to have more wins and more opportunities to play top players.”

Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Jack Draper moves into Indian Wells semis with win over Ben Shelton