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Jack Draper hit by controversial VAR call as Indian Wells title defence ends vs Medvedev: ‘No way it distracted him enough’

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Jack Draper‘s Indian Wells title defence ended in controversial circumstances during his quarter-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev, with a contentious hindrance call proving pivotal in the 6-1 7-5 loss.

The decisive moment arrived at 5-5, 0-15 in the second set. Umpire Aurelie Torte, after a video review, awarded a crucial point to Medvedev.

The call came after Draper, visibly weary from his victory over Novak Djokovic less than 24 hours earlier, raised his arms at a disputed line call, deemed to have distracted his opponent. This controversial decision allowed Medvedev to secure a vital break.

The California crowd made their feelings clear, booing Medvedev at the change of ends and after he sealed victory.

The two players had a long chat at the net as they shook hands, with Medvedev saying “If you’re mad at me, I’m sorry” and Draper responding “I’m not at all – but I don’t think it distracted you enough”.

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Despite the contentious circumstances, Draper shook hands with both Medvedev and Torte before leaving the court.

The opening set had been one-sided, with Draper broken in his first service game after a net cord favoured Medvedev, who then raced to a 4-0 lead within 15 minutes.

Jack Draper gestures toward a chair umpire during a quarterfinal match against Daniil Medvedev

Jack Draper gestures toward a chair umpire during a quarterfinal match against Daniil Medvedev (AP)

Draper finally got on the board with a hold of serve to make it 5-1 but it was only a temporary reprieve as Medvedev wrapped up the set in 25 minutes.

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The second set was a closer contest, although it was the Draper serve which was consistently coming under the greater pressure, with Medvedev telling his opponent he “didn’t feel great” about the incident which ultimately contributed to him sealing a semi-final spot at the end of the match.

British interest in the singles came to an end as Cameron Norrie went down 6-3 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz.

The British number two fought gamely against the world number one but was eventually outclassed.

Norrie struggled to land a blow on the Alcaraz serve in the early stages while struggling to hold his own and the 30-year-old was eventually broken in the sixth game of the contest.

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Jack Draper, looking understandably weary from his exploits in beating Novak Djokovic less than 24 hours earlier, went down 6-1 7-5 to Daniil Medvedev

Jack Draper, looking understandably weary from his exploits in beating Novak Djokovic less than 24 hours earlier, went down 6-1 7-5 to Daniil Medvedev (Getty Images)

Surprisingly that led to a temporary lapse of concentration from the Spaniard, who was broken back to love only to then force a third straight break before wrapping up the opening set.

Norrie gained an early break in the second set but his own service problems saw Alcaraz haul his way back in front.

Norrie saved the first three match points he faced but Alcaraz duly converted the fourth to set up a semi-final showdown with Medvedev.

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In the women’s singles, Elena Rybakina overcame Jessica Pegula in straight sets and will face Elina Svitolina in the last four.

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Reason why Jimmy and Jey Uso weren’t on the same page on WWE RAW explained by veteran

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Jimmy and Jey Uso confronted CM Punk on the recent episode of RAW. The argument was heated enough that it even ended with them exchanging blows. There were talks about how Jimmy looked genuine with a rather cool approach, while Jey was ready to fight. A wrestling veteran had a take on this, which explained everything.

Jim Cornette spoke on his podcast about the differences in The Usos. It was discussed how Jey Uso came out all raged up while Jimmy took the elderly and responsible position. Cornette stated Jimmy had to be the peacemaker while Jey stayed mad all around. He felt that the former World Heavyweight Champion overdid it and came out at a speed more than necessary.

Cornette clarified that the elder Uso was the levelheaded fellow and did his job perfectly. Even when both had the same stuff to speak, Jimmy kept up the role of keeping it together while letting his brother go over the top, as it demanded.

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“Yes. One of them had to be peacemaker, and so Jey needed to be the one that was more mad, but I thought he went for he would come out at 100 miles an hour and stayed there, and that was a little bit much. But I agree with you on Jimmy being the more levelheaded fellow,” Jim Cornette said. (From 3:56 onwards)

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Jim Cornette wants a Jey Uso vs. CM Punk match before WrestleMania 42

The Usos’ and CM Punk’s segment ended in an exchange of blows. Although Punkster took the big one, and The Usos were barely affected, it did light up something. Jim Cornette spoke on the same podcast, saying that now a Punk vs. Jey Uso match should be happening.

Coming from the altercation, it looked possible to hype the WrestleMania match more. Cornette saw a creative finish where the score would be settled while also adding to Punk’s bout with Roman Reigns in the Night 2 main event.