Indian Wells has once again come and gone, with the tennis elite packing their racquets and heading straight to Miami. It has been a mixed tournament for those representing the United Kingdom with some early defeats, but also a couple of lengthy runs.
The Californian tournament has long been considered one of the most prestigious tournaments. A part of the elite nine ATP Masters tournaments and ten WTA 1000s that are second just to the four grand slams.
So how did each British representative do? How have their ranks changed and how do they look going into the next couple of months before Roland-Garros?
Jacob Fearnley
While it is arguable that Fearnley was fortunate to be in the main draw at all, he was certainly unlucky to be drawn to such a fierce youngster.
Joao Fonseca managed a 14-match unbeaten run earlier in the year despite his young age. These impressive performances earned the Brazilian 18-year-old a wildcard entry and a first-round matchup with Britain’s number three.
An impressive two-break lead gave Fonseca a 2-6 win in the opening set. Jacob Fearnley returned winning 6-1 in the second set, but a tight third meant the Brit would exit early in the tournament.
With the tournament ending quickly for Jacob, it is hard to take much from his performance. Joao Fonseca will expect to start winning regular ATP titles in the coming years. However, Jacob Fearnley will be desperate for a first ATP Tour title regardless of the ranking points it rewards.
Emma Raducanu
Raducanu has finally hit a run of tennis tournaments. The recurring injuries of the last couple of years dwindling and allowing her to rise back up the rankings.
The huge amount of ranking points available at Indian Wells presented Emma with a realistic opportunity to establish her back into the top 40. An exceptional tournament could have once again made her the British number one.
Unfortunately, that opportunity did not come, with Raducanu bailing out to Moyuka Uchijima in the opening round.
Perhaps the tournament came too soon for the British number two following her distressing start to the year regarding a stalker. However, Emma has said, “I think I had a good preparation with good people around,” perhaps for the next tournament she will capitalise on her training, without distraction.
Cameron Norrie
Britain’s only title-winner at Indian Wells, Cameron Norrie, should have entered this tournament feeling at home on familiar ground. Instead, the former British number one found himself leaving the competition in the third round.
The 2021 champion had a fantastic opening couple of matches with a win over Luca Narda, and then against 23rd seed Jiri Lahecka. Tommy Paul, the American number two and tenth seed, playing to a cheering home crowd, was his next opponent.
The two players met in the 2021 tournament, which was to be Norrie’s greatest tennis achievement to date. That match was a three-set thriller involving 12 converted break points and eight aces. The Brit went through to the quarterfinals.
Seven aces and eight converted breaks featured in that match and this repeat was almost as enthralling. Norrie could not take a set but stretched Paul far with the American requiring seven games to win the second set.
The two players, now tied with three wins each, exchanged pleasantries at the match’s end.
The match showed that Cam Norrie’s confidence was still shaky given his seven double faults, three of which were in the decisive game. Despite this, his opening two matches were impressive and hinted that Norrie might still have a title in his locker.
Katie Boulter
Undoubtedly the favourite British woman for the title before the competition; Katie Boulter entered Indian Wells full of confidence.
It would be the first tournament Boulter had appeared at since her disappointing second-round exit in the Australian Open. Her two-month absence was generally excused by a foot injury however, it meant that she had slipped out of the top 30.
Despite her fall in ranking, Boulter entered Indian Wells seeded 22nd, giving her a bye into the second round. Here she faced Irina-Camelia Begu, of Romania, being shocked into losing the opening set in a tie-break.
Boulter regained her confidence and took the next two sets only dropping three games. This gave her a first victory since the 14th of January but set her up against seventh seed Rybakina.
Boulter received a lesson from Rybakina on why she was ranked third in the world. The Kazakhstan national opened the match with a 6-0 set, winning 15 receiver points to Katie’s three. Despite showing more fight, it was not to be for Boulter who lost the second set 7-5.
Failing to make it beyond the third round, despite having a bye, would likely be of immense disappointment. Boulter will be aiming to have a seeded position for Roland-Garros. This being said, her loss leaves her ranked three spots outside of the top 32.
The early exit gives the British number one an extra week to prepare for the Miami Open, which will begin on the 18th of March.
Sonay Kartal
While Jack Draper may have gone all the way, Sonay Kartal has arguably had the most shockingly impressive tournament.
Kartal started the tournament fairly poorly, losing in the final qualification round for the tournament. This loss to the No 259 Clervie Ngounoue, was fairly unexpected with Kartal being in great form and a superior ranking. Nevertheless, Sonay managed to enter the contest still as a lucky loser, but it was not luck that followed.
The 23-year-old Brit made it to the fourth round (round of 16), the lowest-ranked player to do so at Indian Wells this year. Kartal managed to win seven sets consecutively before losing her first of the tournament.
Along the way, she overcame three impressive opponents. These included a former top 20 player and the competition’s 16th seed.
In said match against Beatriz Haddad Maia, Sonay Kartal would enjoy the biggest win of her career. Playing against the world No 17, the British representative gave a performance of a lifetime winning 6-2 6-1.
Both players suffered just two double faults throughout the match, which lasted just 68 minutes. The excellent service games from both players show just how incredible Kartal’s return was in this match as she converted five break points to Maia’s one; these points ultimately earned the Brit her first visit to the last 16 at a WTA 1000 event.
Aryna Sabalenka would be Sonay Kartal’s next, and final, opponent. The current WTA No. 1 won fairly comfortably despite having her first service game broken. Unfortunately, the Belarusian won the next seven games consecutively and Kartal did not break her serve again.
It’s hard to say that Sonay Kartal’s exit was disappointing, as a higher-ranked player than Sabalenka could not have humbled her. What Sonay achieved at Indian Wells could forever be a monumental milestone for her, as it cements her plays in the top 100 and should be enough to earn her qualification for this year’s French Open.
Jack Draper
What a tournament Jack had! It felt like destiny that the 23-year-old from Surrey would push for more titles this year, but a Masters 1000 event title at Indian Wells certainly was not expected.
Following the back of the Doha 500 where Draper finished as the runner-up, he was certainly in form to go on a run in California. The only concern would have been whether a player with a history of injuries at a younger age, who had struggled with the intensity and heat at the US Open could go all the way in back-to-back competitions.
Those concerns were short-lived as Draper utterly stormed through the competition with arguably the hardest run of any player.
Being the 13th seed, Jack Draper had a bye to the second round in the 96-man competition. Looking purely at ranking, Jack had a favourable draw however in reality Joao Fonseca was a crowd favourite who had been backed for an impressive tournament run.
The Brazilian 18-year-old has been praised by several tennis greats including Djokovic following his victory over British No 3 Jacob Fearnley. Draper made Joao remember to be patient as the Brit won 6-4 6-0.
After this victory, Draper would win seven sets consecutively. These came against the talented American trio of Brooksby, Fritz, and Shelton, before dropping the second set against Carlos Alcaraz.
The semi-final fixture was by far the toughest of Draper’s run. Carlos Alcaraz currently sits 3rd in the rankings, seeded second for Indian Wells due to Jannik Sinner’s suspension, and was the defending champion after winning in 2023 and 2024. Despite Carlos saying to the media, “I didn’t feel myself well on court,” there cannot be any doubt that Draper had one of the greatest matches of his life. The final score ran 6-1 0-6 6-4, and the Spaniard could not defend his Indian Wells title for a third time.
The final brought Holger Rune to Draper. The previously ranked ATP No 4 sat just a spot ahead of Draper prior to the final, meaning that Draper faced four top 20-ranked players in his six matches at Indian Wells. Despite the impressive Dane beating Tsitsipas and Medvedev, both top 10 ranked, earlier in the competition; he struggled to even threaten Jack Draper.
In fact, Draper won the match in straight sets with four break points converted by the Brit. Despite his returns being remarkable, it was arguably Draper’s serves that won him the match. 10 aces, zero double faults, and no break points suffered resulted in a match that lasted just 69 minutes before the trophy was British once again!
This tournament was, without a doubt, the biggest of Jack’s career. It provided the 1000 ranking points that would make him the world number 7, the first English-born top 10 player in 20 years. However, perhaps more substantially, it gave Britain the hope that a men’s singles Grand Slam trophy would not be far away. With Draper being proficient on grass, could Wimbledon be his this year?
Do you think Jack Draper will win a Grand Slam in the next year? Let us know on X or BlueSky @TheDeckNews. If you liked this article then check out our article on the rise of Jacob Fearnley.