Jack Draper was forced to confront the umpire over an incorrect not-up call at a crucial moment of his Indian Wells semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz. The British No. 1 successfully chased down a ball and returned it but chair official Mohamed Lahyani initially thought it bounced twice. Draper marched over to the chair to request a video review. When Lahyani realised his mistake, he initially agreed to replay the point.
The Brit still wasn’t happy, asking for VAR to be used again to confirm whether he deserved to win the point. After a three-and-a-half minute interruption, he was finally awarded the point and went on to break in the same game. But commentators disagreed with the final decision. Draper went on to win 6-1 0-6 6-4, booking his spot in his first Masters 1000 final and cracking the top 10.
Draper and Alcaraz split the first two sets of their semi-final match in Indian Wells. It was a rollercoaster contest – the Brit took the first set 6-1 before the defending champion bagelled him. With Alcaraz serving at 1-1 15-15 in the decisive set, a chaotic call appeared to change the match.
Draper chased down a drop shop and got the ball back into play but the umpire called a not-up. The 13th seed immediately called for a video review challenge to determine whether he’d hit the ball in time, or if it did bounce twice.
“He’s called not up. I don’t know if that’s right. And that will go to video review. What a shame the umpire intervenes on one of the rallies of the match,” Jonathan Overend said on Sky Sports commentary.
Naomi Broady replied: “I think the chair umpire knows he might have made a mistake here.”
The review confirmed Draper got to the ball in time and the chair official initially decided to replay the point. “After the review, Mr Draper made it on the first bounce. Replay the point,” Lahyani announced.
However, Draper had another issue. The 23-year-old approached the umpire again, arguing that Alcaraz’s return wasn’t affected by the call and that the point should be his. “He’s nowhere near it. Can I do a video review on that?” he asked.
His request was granted and Lahyani ruled in his favour after the second review, telling the players and the crowd: “The not-up call was late so the point goes to Mr Draper.”
Alcaraz and Draper quickly convened at the net for a chat but the Spaniard seemed to accept the call. However, Overend and Broady suggested that it was still the wrong decision, and that Alcaraz could have pushed to replay the point.
Both agreed that Lahyani’s initial cry of “not up” could be heard immediately, giving Alcaraz grounds to challenge again.
Overend explained: “So it is point to Draper but the first call of ‘not up’ from Lahyani, nobody heard it but Alcaraz could justifiably argue that that put him off and that they should play the point again. But it’s point Draper, which is what Jack wanted.”
Play resumed almost four minutes later with Alcaraz now facing a 15-30 deficit on his own service game. And it was a turning point – Draper went on to secure the first break of the final set.
“That’s a point-changing moment in the match, that,” Broady claimed. Alcaraz continued to struggle on his service games and was broken for a second time while trailing 2-4, giving Draper the chance to reach his biggest final.
“How different it could’ve been if it wasn’t for the drama in the third game that will be talked about over and over again,” Overend said before Draper stepped up to serve for the match.
Alcaraz kept himself alive, getting one of the breaks back. But it only delayed the inevitable, and Draper served it out at the second time of asking, handing Alcaraz his first loss in Indian Wells since 2022.
The world No. 3 was on a 16-match winning streak at the tournament after lifting the title in 2023 and 2024. But Draper pulled off the upset to end Alcaraz’s reign. He is now set to crack the world’s top 10.