He sets up the Indian Wells final with Sinner
INDIAN WELLS
Daniil Medvedev ended Carlos Alcaraz’s perfect start to 2026, stunning the world number one 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) Saturday to book an Indian Wells title clash with Jannik Sinner.
Medvedev avenged losses to Alcaraz in back-to-back Indian Wells finals in 2023 and 2024, using an impressive service display and aggressive play from the baseline to keep the Spanish star on the back foot throughout. “Super happy to beat someone as strong as he (is),” Medvedev said. “It’s a great feeling.”
He’ll have his work cut out for him again in Sunday’s clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, who beat fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4.
Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with his Australian Open triumph this year. He followed with a title in Qatar and took a 16-0 2026 record into Saturday’s contest.
But Medvedev was up to the challenge, last month’s Dubai champion running Alcaraz ragged in the intense desert heat as he pushed his own ATP win streak to nine matches.
“I just felt like the long rallies, especially when you play against Daniil, that the rallies are long, that you have to increase all the power in almost every shot,” Alcaraz said.
“So it feels like you’re wasting extra energy after every shot. And with the heat, sometimes it’s really tricky to deal with all of that.”
After Medvedev needed just one break of serve to pocket an opening set in which he didn’t face a break point himself, Alcaraz made some adjustments broke first in the second for a 3-1 lead.
But Medvedev broke back immediately, and his control in the rallies had Alcaraz gasping after one long point in the ninth game.
“The first set … he just made it that I had to struggle a little bit,” Alcaraz said. “In the second set, I started to feel much better. I realized what I have to do. I realized that I have to suffer, and I accept it.”
Alcaraz hung on to hold serve for a 5-4 lead in the second set, but he was unable to convert a pair of set points in the next game and they went to a tiebreaker that was all Medvedev.
“He was playing aggressive, and he didn’t even miss,” Alcaraz said of Medvedev, who raced to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreaker to book is third shot at the title.
“He’s an amazing player with amazing shots, defense, attack, serve, return, everything,” Medvedev said. “So you need to be at your best — and I was.”
