Defending champion Jack Draper continued to shake off the rust after a lengthy layoff, keeping his hopes of another Indian Wells title alive with a hard-fought win over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
The Briton cruised through the first set but was pushed hard by the 19th seed in a much tighter second, ultimately winning 6-1 7-5.
His reward is a meeting with five-time Indian Wells winner and third seed Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, after the Serb beat American Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets.
It will mark the first time Draper has faced Djokovic since he took a set off the 24-time major champion on his Wimbledon debut in 2021.
Draper had only played two ATP matches in the last eight months before arriving in California, having spent the second half of 2025 and beginning of 2026 sidelined with a troubling bone bruising issue in his serving arm.
Monday’s win marked the first time he has won successive matches at a tournament since Queen’s last June.
He admitted it was a “ropey” second set and told Sky Sports: “I’m only just getting to the point where I’m playing without pain in my arm, so it’s not easy to feel really confident.
“Obviously I’ve been playing a little bit, but I’ve got to accept that my tennis isn’t going to be completely there for a while.”
Seeded 14th, the 24-year-old was at risk of falling out of the world’s top 30 if he lost early in California, and could still lose his ranking as the British No 1 if Cameron Norrie goes a round further.
And while Draper has shown signs of rust in his first two matches, needing three sets to see off Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round after receiving a first-round bye, he was clinical in the important moments against Cerundolo.
This was his first victory in three meetings with Cerundolo, a clay-court player who was expected to be dangerous on the relatively slow courts in Indian Wells, where difficult wind conditions often cause havoc.
Draper was on top throughout the first set but dipped midway through the second, allowing Cerundolo to break for a 5-4 lead.
But the 27-year-old grew jittery attempting to serve out the set and Draper seized control to avoid a decider.
The world number 14 broke back, then saved a break point at 5-5 and came back to win the game from 15-40 down, before breaking the Argentine again to seal victory.
Earlier Norrie, a former champion in California, ensured he maintains in the race for the British No 1 mantle with an impressive 6-4 6-4 win over eighth seed Alex de Minaur.
