A DAY after retaining the world number two spot and ending the 19-match unbeaten run from Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz added another ATP 1000 trophy to his cabinet by taking out the Indian Wells title in emphatic style. The Spaniard came back from an early break against world number four Daniil Medvedev, and then battled through a tiebreaker to storm to an easy second set win and claim the title, 7-6 6-1.

Both players had a rich history of late, with Alcaraz’s win over Medvedev in last year’s ATP Finals tipping him 3-2 ahead in their personal clashes. It came just two months after Medvedev defeated the Spanish young gun en route to the 2023 US Open final. But in the Californian desert, Alcaraz shook off an early challenge to win in an hour and 42 minutes.

Alcaraz won 75 and 68 per cent of his first and second serve points, and after conceding an early break of serve to the Russian, did not drop another service game for the rest of the match. By comparison, Alcaraz broke three times – including twice in the second set – to cruise to victory with a dominant second set.

In the second set, Alcaraz won 16 of 21 points off his serve, while Medvedev struggled (9/21). Winning double his opponent’s points in the set, Alcaraz showed the glimpses he had against Sinner to remind tennis fans that his 6-3 start to the season prior to Indian Wells was merely a hiccup. Back to his best, he looked every bit like the two-time Grand Slam champion.

“Winning this tournament means a lot to me because the week before it began, I had a lot of doubts about my ankle,” Alcaraz said post-match. “I remember my first practice here was just 30 minutes with no movement and probably the first practice with really good tennis players was really tough for me, because I thought I was not going to play my best.

”I was not feeling well with my ankle, so a lot of doubts for me. But once I stepped on the court, the first round, I started to feel better.”

The title was Alcaraz’s first since his Wimbledon trophy last year, and is 13th overall. After 11 across his past two seasons – including two Grand Slams and five ATP Masters 1000 crowns – the Spanish world number two is on the board in 2024, defending his Indian Wells title.

Now Alcaraz and Medvedev both make their way to Miami, with the latter the defending champion at the event, while the former will be the top seed in a field missing world number Novak Djokovic.

MEN’S SINGLES FINAL RESULTS:

[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) defeated [4] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 7-6 6-1