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JACK DRAPER reached the biggest final of his career by beating Carlos Alcaraz.

And he was helped along the way by a never-seen-before DOUBLE VAR review.

Tennis player Jack Draper watching a video review during a match.
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Jack Draper was helped by a controversial double VAR call at Indian WellsCredit: Reuters
Jack Draper reacting after winning a tennis match.
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He beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-1 0-6 6-4 in the Indian Wells semi-finalCredit: AFP
Tennis match in progress, score 6-1, 15-15.
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Draper was called for not making a double bounceCredit: X @SkySportsTennis
Tennis player arguing with umpire.
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He immediately asked for a video replayCredit: X @SkySportsTennis
Tennis player on court with jumbotron showing tennis match.
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The replay showed he got the ball back before the second bounceCredit: X @SkySportsTennis

Draper, 23, stunned the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz in their blockbuster semi-final at Indian Wells.

The prestigious tournament is one of the nine Masters 1000 events of the year - the level below the four Grand Slams - but is often referred to as the "fifth Major".

And No13 seed Draper will take on 12th seed Holger Rune in Sunday's final in the Californian desert.

That is after a topsy-turvy battle with Alcaraz which included a bizarre incident early in the deciding set.

READ MORE ON SPORT

Draper blitzed through the opener 6-1 before Alcaraz roared back to claim the second 6-0 - with still only 53 minutes on the clock.

But there was a key moment when Alcaraz was serving at 1-1 15-15 in the third.

After a brutal rally, the Spaniard dropshotted his British opponent.

Draper chased the ball down and flicked it back just over the net for Alcaraz to scamper after.

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But as the world No3 pushed the ball wide, umpire Mohamed Lahyani frantically said "not up" over the microphone - indicating that he felt Draper did not get to the ball before the second bounce, therefore giving the point to Alcaraz.

Draper, though, was convinced he had made the return legitimately and immediately wagged his finger and voiced his appeal to the umpire, who appeared to realise he had made a mistake.

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And with the new video technology in tennis, Lahyani put on his headphones and was able to watch a video review.

The replay clearly showed Draper had indeed made the shot before the second bounce - and Lahyani agreed.

The Swedish official announced that the point would be replayed because of his blunder.

But then Draper demanded a secondary video review because he felt he deserved to be given the point because Alcaraz could not have made the return.

The US Open semi-finalist said: "He wasn't anywhere near the ball. Mohamed, he was nowhere near. Can we do a video review on that?"

Lahyani tried to provide an excuse but relented and watched the incident again, including Alcaraz's miss.

And he confirmed: "After review, ladies and gentlemen, the 'not up' call was late so the point goes to Mr Draper."

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It prompted an outpouring of cheers and applause from the crowd.

Alcaraz, who in theory could have asked for a third review to see if the call put him off, and Draper then had a quick chat at the net before carrying on.

It proved a crucial decision as the British No1 took the next two points to break Alcaraz's serve.

He broke again for 5-2, then was pegged back when serving for the match but made no mistake at 5-4, clinching victory on his first match point.

Read More on The Sun

Draper has now won two of his three completed matches against four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz - the other one coming at Queen's last summer.

The Surrey lefty, who has an ATP 250 and ATP 500 title to his name in his career from 2024, takes on Rune in arguably the biggest match of his life so far after the young Dane saw off Daniil Medvedev in the other semi-final.

Tennis match in progress at Indian Wells.
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Alcaraz pushed the ball wide as the umpire made his blunderCredit: X @SkySportsTennis
Tennis player challenging a line call.
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Draper wanted a second VAR review to be given the pointCredit: X @SkySportsTennis
Tennis player on court with jumbotron showing tennis match.
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Alcaraz did not make any complaints against the final decisionCredit: X @SkySportsTennis
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jack Draper of Great Britain disputing a call during a tennis match.
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The pair had a brief conversation at the netCredit: AP
Carlos Alcaraz awaiting a video review during a tennis match.
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Video reviews are a new addition to tennisCredit: AP
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