Jack Draper survived a scare to defeat Jenson Brooksby 7-5, 6-4 and book his place in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells for the second time in his career.
The British No 1 trailed 4-1 in the first set against the world No 937 but a rare moment of frustration inspired his fightback to claim victory in two sets. Trailing 4-2 and on the Brooksby serve, Draper threw his racket to the floor but followed his outburst by winning the next three points as he clawed his way back into the match.
The 23-year-old Briton said: “Jenson is an unorthodox player, he makes life really difficult. He doesn’t make the rhythm easy.
“I got off to a slow start, I missed a couple of opportunities early on. But I’m glad of the way I fought and competed. Even though it wasn’t my best tennis today, I’m really happy with the way I tried my best to stay cool.”
His victory continued another promising campaign for Draper, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, and the final in Doha, where he was defeated by Andrey Rublev.
Jamie Murray, meanwhile, became the first Briton, and only the second active player, to play 1,000 career doubles matches. The 39-year-old marked the occasion in style as he and his playing partner Adam Pavlasek defeated Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway in a tie-break set.
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Murray, who played his first tour doubles match alongside his brother, Andy, in Nottingham 19 years ago, said: “It is something I’m proud of and I think it shows longevity, being able to play on the Tour for that long and still be going.”
