“I feel,” Draper said, “like I deserve it.”
Earlier Sunday, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia collected her second consecutive Masters 1000 title by getting past No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Rune is a 21-year-old from Denmark who was seeded 12th at Indian Wells.
Their matchup was the first ATP Masters 1000 final anywhere between two men born in the 2000s and the first at Indian Wells between two aged 23 or younger since Rafael Nadal, 22, beat Andy Murray, 21, in 2009.
“Tough day for me, but I have to start with congratulating Jack,” Rune said. “You’ve been showing some incredible tennis and, for sure, you deserved to win today.”
Draper got to the final by eliminating two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals on Friday.
“I wasn’t expecting this. I put in a lot of work over time,” Draper said. “I’m just so grateful and so happy to … be able to play, my body feeling healthy and to feel great in the mind.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
