After a three-hour rain delay, Carlos Alcaraz managed to come back from being a set down and break Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak, securing a spot in the final against Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells.
The Spaniard defeated Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the BNP Paribas Open decider while also retaining his world No 2 ranking with the victory. Alcaraz extended his own winning streak to 11 matches as he moved into the final.
Alcaraz and Medvedev will face off in the final match after Medvedev, the fourth-ranked player in the world, defeated Tommy Paul 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in the second semi-final. Paul, who was seeded 17th, lost the second set in a tie break and took a medical timeout before Medvedev dominated the deciding set with a 6-2 win.
Sinner led Alcaraz 2-1 in the first set when the match was suspended for more than three hours because of rain in the Southern California desert. Rain had also affected the women’s semi-finals the day before.
After play resumed, Sinner, who won the Australian Open, has been the most dominant player on the tour this year. He appeared ready to easily win the match as Alcaraz made a mistake and hit a forehand too long, ending the first set after 34 minutes.
However, Alcaraz altered his strategy and began to approach the net more often, causing Sinner to move back and forth. In the fourth game of the second set, Alcaraz secured the sole break with a forehand drop volley winner. Although he faced a break point in the seventh game, he remained composed and ultimately served out the set.
The Spanish player successfully won two games against Sinner in the third set, while both competitors were aggressively hitting the ball and moving towards the net. This led to a series of exciting and precise volleys at various angles.
Alcaraz was in the lead with a score of 40-love while serving, giving him his first chance to win the match. However, he made a mistake by hitting the net with a backhand shot. Sinner then successfully returned a powerful smash, denying Alcaraz’s second match point. But in the end, the Spaniard secured the win with a forehand crosscourt shot.
“I maintained my mental strength, which was crucial,” Alcaraz explained. “I had to increase my running, improve my defensive skills from the first set, and put more balls in play. I remained resilient on the court.”
If Sinner had won, he could have claimed the second spot in the world rankings instead of Alcaraz. He had a winning streak of 19 matches, with 16 of them being this year. However, he made 38 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz’s 24, which ended up costing him the match. Sinner did have 21 more winners than Alcaraz, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory.
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Alcaraz and Medvedev will face each other again in a repeat of last year’s Indian Wells final. In 2023, the Spanish player emerged victorious, winning 6-3, 6-2 against Medvedev.
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Medvedev commented on his match against Carlos, acknowledging that he played impressively in the second and third sets. He also mentioned wanting to improve and perform better this year, learning from his previous experience. He plans to focus on hitting more aces and playing more aggressively to hopefully turn things around. He ended by stating his determination to rest and prepare for his upcoming match.
Similar to Alcaraz, Medvedev faced difficulties in the beginning of the match. However, the second set proved to be a tougher challenge for him. Medvedev seemed to have the upper hand when he gained a 4-0 lead and even more so when he was up 5-2. However, Paul made a comeback and forced a tiebreaker.
Paul quickly took a 3-2 advantage in the tiebreaker, but Medvedev prevented defeat by securing five consecutive points. He then easily won the third set.
“I was very impressed by [Paul]’s performance in the first set. In order to be victorious, I knew I had to step up my game and find a way to put him under pressure,” Medvedev reflected. “I was able to do so, particularly with my serve.”
The match became a lengthy battle, with even the third set ending at 6-2. The games were extremely long, making it a drawn-out set. I am pleased to have been able to come out on top.
Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Elise Mertens of Belgium, the top-seeded team, emerged victorious in the women’s doubles final. They beat the third-seeded duo of Storm Hunter from Australia and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic with a score of 6-3, 6-4. The winning pair were awarded a shared prize of $447,300.
Source: theguardian.com
