On Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz overcame a slow beginning and ended strongly to retain his Indian Wells title, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final with a score of 7-6(5) 6-1. The Spaniard trailed early as his Russian opponent sprinted into a 3-0 lead but soon found his range on the frantic, high-octane court and closed out the first set tiebreak in a match that saw both players exchange breathtaking shots. In the second, Alcaraz romped through his service games and captured the title when Medvedev’s forehand missed wide on match point.
Alcaraz’s victory marks the first time he has successfully defended a title at the BNP Paribas Open since the event became an ATP Masters 1000 in 2024. The triumph reaffirmed the 20-year-old’s status as one of the game’s rising talents and is likely to bolster his confidence ahead of a busy summer schedule, including four more tournaments and three ATP Masters 1000 events in the coming weeks.
It was clear that Alcaraz had no intention of letting up after he said last week that he had come to Indian Wells to win. And though he wasn’t firing on all cylinders in the opening set against Medvedev, his determination was evident from the first serve.
The second set, however, was much more comfortable as the pair settled into their grooves. After a quick exchange of breaks, the Spaniard raced into a 4-0 lead and pushed on to win in straight sets. The only hiccup was in the deciding set when a late break of serve allowed Medvedev to level at 5-5 and push the match into a tiebreaker.
In the breaker, Alcaraz quickly took charge and edged to a 4-2 advantage at the change of ends before closing out the match with a forehand cross-court winner. His victory was greeted with a huge roar from the Indian Wells crowd, and Alcaraz threw his arms in the air to celebrate a memorable win over one of his biggest rivals.
Medvedev was unable to find his best form in the third and final set, which proved costly as Alcaraz broke early on and secured victory with a forehand pass up the line. The Russian player erupted in frustration at the chair umpire over a call. Still, Alcaraz did not let it affect his concentration as he cruised to a straightforward victory over his opponent.
Alcaraz’s triumph is a big boost to his hopes of challenging for the top spot in the rankings, which are currently held by world number two Novak Djokovic. It also makes him the first man to defend a championship in the California desert since Djokovic won three straight between 2014-2016.
