Alcaraz expects tough test from Draper in Indian Wells semifinals

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is bracing for a tough semifinal test from "ambitious" British lefty Jack Draper on Saturday as he aims to take the next step toward a rare Indian Wells ATP Masters three-peat.

The world number three from Spain is looking to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three straight titles in the California desert.

And despite his 3-1 record against Draper he won't be taking the world number 14 lightly. "I think he has a lot of rhythm, a lot of pace, great shots," Alcaraz said. "I think his style of play suits pretty well to these conditions."

"It seems he's in really good shape right now," Alcaraz added. "I think he's ambitious, and he always go for it. So that makes him a really tough opponent."

Two of Draper's losses to Alcaraz have come by retirement, including at Indian Wells in 2023 and in the Australian Open fourth round this year, where he'd won three straight five-set matches before facing Alcaraz in the round of 16.

In the other semifinal, Daniil Medvedev will also be seeking to reach a third straight final, having come up short against Alcaraz in each of the past two years.

The 29-year-old Russian, a six-time Grand Slam finalist, jumped for joy after digging out a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory over 20-year-old Arthur Fils in the quarterfinals to earn a last-four clash with another young gun in Denmark's Holger Rune. Medvedev has won two of their three prior encounters, including a quarter-final victory at Indian Wells last year.

On the women's side, Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 6-3 to set up a meeting with Madison Keys, who eased past former world number four Belinda Bencic 6-1, 6-1.

As in her previous match, Sabalenka went down a quick break. But she won the next nine games to take a 6-2, 3-1 lead.

Samsonova pulled back a break as she leveled the second set at 3-3, but Sabalenka strung together another three games for the victory, lunging for a backhand passing winner on her first match point.

Keys, coming off a tough three-set win over Donna Vekic, fired 30 winners to put away Bencic in just 64 minutes. Keys is now riding a 16-match winning streak as she tries to become the first American woman to lift the title in the California desert since Serena Williams in 2001.