INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Jack Draper overwhelmed Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2 in a little more than an hour in the final of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, achieving two big milestones by claiming his first Masters 1000 title and earning his debut in the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
Draper, a 23-year-old from Britain who was seeded 13th at the hard-court tournament in the California desert, built up a 21-7 advantage in winners against Rune while also making fewer unforced errors.
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Jack Draper, of Great Britain, serves to Holger Rune, of Denmark, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Holger Rune, of Denmark, returns to Jack Draper, of Great Britain, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jack Draper, of Great Britain, returns to Holger Rune, of Denmark, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jack Draper, of. Britain, returns to Holger Rune, of Denmark, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jack Draper, of Britain, holds the winner's trophy at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Draper's left-handed serve was particularly important: He hit 10 aces, won 21 of his 23 first-serve points and never allowed Rune to earn a single break point.
“You never know when it's your time,” said Draper, a U.S. Open semifinalist in September. “I lost first round here last year, so I didn't get to experience the tournament too much. ... But I'd say this is one of my favorite tournaments now, of course.”
He will rise from No. 14 to a career-high No. 7 in the rankings on Monday.
“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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Jack Draper, of Great Britain, serves to Holger Rune, of Denmark, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Holger Rune, of Denmark, returns to Jack Draper, of Great Britain, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jack Draper, of Great Britain, returns to Holger Rune, of Denmark, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jack Draper, of. Britain, returns to Holger Rune, of Denmark, during the final match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jack Draper, of Britain, holds the winner's trophy at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Wildfires fueled by dry conditions and gusting winds burned in a few Southern states Thursday, forcing evacuations in Texas and prompting Florida officials to close part of a major highway with spring break in high gear.
A wildfire in Sam Houston National Forest near Houston prompted the evacuation of about 900 homes and closed schools. The National Weather Service issued elevated fire warnings around the nation’s fourth-largest city.
The fire, which started Wednesday, had burned about 3.7 square miles (9.6 square kilometers) and was only about 20% contained Thursday afternoon as firefighters used water-carrying helicopters to douse hot spots and bulldozers to dig containment lines, the Texas A&M Forest Service said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage, but the Cleveland Independent School District, which has about 12,000 students, canceled classes as a precaution.
Firefighters and law enforcement “did an such unbelievable job yesterday in protecting homes, animals, livestock and people. We’ve lost basically nothing, which is hard to believe,” the county’s top elected official, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough, said.
However, he said, expected wind gusts Thursday along with a drop in humidity could make the situation disastrous.
"We’re asking the people who evacuated last night to stay still away from their homes,” Keough said.
In the Florida Keys, a large brush fire that began Tuesday caused authorities to close the two roads leading in and out of the island chain, because of smoky conditions and to allow firefighters to move equipment.
Officials said the fire had burned about 34 square miles (88 square kilometers) and was about 20% contained.
Spring break is in full swing in Florida, and officials said U.S. 1, the major thoroughfare that connects the mainland to the islands, was expected to have intermittent closures in the coming days. It is also a heavily traveled road for people who live on the mainland and work at many of the hotels and restaurants in Key Largo and beyond.
In Arkansas, crews responded to nearly than 100 fires Wednesday that were fueled by high winds and were dealing with five new ones Thursday.
The fires closed several highways, including a portion of Interstate 530 southeast of Little Rock due to heavy smoke.
Flames damaged structures in several cities, including Little Rock. The roof collapsed at St. Joseph’s, a 115-year-old building in North Little Rock that once served as an orphanage and is now the home of a nonprofit that provides urban farming resources.
The South has experienced recent cold and dry conditions, followed by gusting winds, that have fanned the flames.
Texas has seen fire hazards range from the far northern Panhandle, where ground vegetation froze and dried out, and push hundreds of miles east to the coast.
South Florida has seen every little rainfall over the past few weeks. The rainy season doesn't start until sometime around mid-May. Another cold front with dry air is expected to push through South Florida on Thursday night, said meteorologist Donal Harrigan with the National Weather Service in Miami.
The weather service issued Red Flag warnings for fire conditions in east Texas and South Florida and could extend them for several days.
Red flag warnings are issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are ripe for fires. In southeast Texas, weather service officials predicted wind gusts of 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour), combined with humidity as low as 18%. That combination will continue to dry out vegetation.
Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and DeMillo reported from Little Rock, Arkansas.
A utility vehicle is driven across a fire line while working to contain the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A helicopter carries water to battle the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Fire crew members drive along a fire line while working to contain the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A fire crew member drives back to a staging site while working to contain the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Fire crews drive along a fire line while working to contain the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Officials work at a staging area at Olde Security Square Flea Market to respond to a growing wildfire near Cleveland, Texas, Thursday, March 20, 2025. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A helicopter pulls water from Kade Lake to respond to a growing wildfire near Cleveland, Texas, Thursday, March 20, 2025. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A helicopter drops a bucket to gather water to battle the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A helicopter carries a bucket of water to battle the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A helicopter drops a bucket to gather water to battle the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A helicopter drops a bucket to gather water to battle the Pauline Road wildfire Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Firefighters spray water on a fire near the Walmart at 700 Bowman Rd., Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Little Rock, Ark. (Adam Vogler/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV, a brush fire burns across and over Card Sound Road, the only other road connecting the Keys to Florida City on the mainland, as it remains closed Tuesday, March 18, 2025, south of Dade County, Fla. (WSVN-TV via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV, a brush fire burns across and over Card Sound Road, the only other road connecting the Keys to Florida City on the mainland, as it remains closed Tuesday, March 18, 2025, south of Dade County, Fla. (WSVN-TV via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV, a brush fire burns along U.S. 1 as a helicopter flies above after dropping water Tuesday, March 18, 2025, south of Dade County, Fla. (WSVN-TV via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV, a brush fire burns along U.S. 1 as a helicopter carrying a water tank flies toward the fire Tuesday, March 18, 2025, south of Dade County, Fla. (WSVN-TV via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV,, brush fire burns across and over Card Sound Road, the only other road connecting the Keys to Florida City on the mainland, as it remains closed Tuesday, March 18, 2025, south of Dade County, Fla. (WSVN-TV via AP)
North Little Rock and Maumelle firefighters battle a fire at the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in North Little Rock, Ark. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
A couple embraces as North Little Rock and Maumelle firefighters fight a fire at the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in North Little Rock, Ark. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
North Little Rock and Maumelle firefighters battle a fire at the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in North Little Rock, Ark. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a wooded area behind a Walmart, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Little Rock, Ark. (Adam Vogler/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
