Draper advances to the fourth round by solving the Brooksby puzzle.

After falling behind 4-1 in the opening set, Britain’s Draper regained his groove and defeated the elusive American 7-5 6-4 in California’s 26°C heat. As he recovers from a 13-month suspension for skipping three drug tests and a protracted shoulder injury, Brooksby is currently ranked 937th in the world. After the game, Draper wrote “good to have a great player back” on the camera lens as the two hugged near the net.

The 13th-seeded Draper will next take on Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo or former winner Taylor Fritz. Draper has only lost twice this year, once to Andrey Rublev in the Qatar Open final and once against Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open fourth round, where he was forced to quit due to injury. He adjusted well to Brooksby, an unconventional player who can worry most opponents with a variety of shots.

Brooksby targeted Draper’s backhand in his opening service game of the match, breaking him, but he adjusted well to the American’s pace.

Draper threw his racquet away in despair after squandering a break-back point on Brooksby’s serve at 4-2, but it appeared to refocus him, as he used his subsequent break opportunity to force the set back on serve. Draper broke and served for the first set with a smash near the net, and he finished with an ace. In the second, he continued to apply pressure, breaking early and winning in one hour and forty-two minutes. Later on Monday, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur will also compete as Spain’s Alcaraz continues to defend his title.