Indian Wells (USA), March 19 Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated Janick Sinner to reach the final in Indian Wells and return to the top of the ATP Rankings with a victory.
After a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory on Saturday – which he saved a set point in the first set – the Spaniard will face Daniel Medvedev in his first final at Indian Wells, who Knowing a win will ensure his return to No. 1 in the world. 1.
“I’m very happy with today’s performance. I’m really happy to get through this great game. Janick is obviously a very good player, and he shoots the ball very well,” said Alcaraz, who played in this session. Haven’t lost a set in the tournament.
“I would say we’re going to have a tough rivalry over the years. We’re playing the best game in the world. It’s not here. We’re going to play a lot of good games. All I can say is that I’m happy with the game at Indian Wells. Very happy with the first final,” he added.
The blockbuster semi-final was the fifth ATP head-to-head meeting between Alcaraz and Sinner, and the first since their marathon US Open quarter-final at 2:50 a.m. in New York in Spain. The Man won their desert duel in a brisk 1 hour and 52 minutes, with the two sides tied 3-2.
Most of the drama took place in the back-and-forth opening, as Sinner took full advantage of his opponent’s drop in level to turn a 2-4 deficit into a 5-4 lead, scoring 11 straight points in the process. Sinner kept up the pressure, making it 6-5, but Alcaraz’s unique combination – big serve, lob, volley winner – killed the chance and secured the tie-break.
Buoyed by an escape, the Spaniard blazed in the tie-break, a pair of backhands on the set point sealing the deal.
A champion in Miami last season, Alcaraz will try to become the youngest player to win a Sunshine double on Sunday. The 19-year-old, who is also defending champion in Madrid, is looking to join compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only man to win at least three ATP Masters 1000 titles as a teenager (Nadal won six. indivual). Alcaraz was 2-0 up in his previous final.
The Spaniard has reached the finals of all three of his 2023 tournaments, winning in Buenos Aires and beating Cameron Noli in Rio. He was sidelined for more than three months starting in November with abdominal and hamstring injuries before making his Buenos Aires debut in February.
Alcaraz’s meeting with Medvedev on Sunday will be the pair’s second ATP head-to-head meeting, with Medvedev winning in straight sets at Wimbledon in 2021. The fifth seed leads a 19-game winning streak into title contention.
Sinner, who made history by becoming the first Italian to reach the quarter-finals or semi-finals at Indian Wells, moved up two spots to 11th in the ATP real-time rankings, trailing him into the final four. He’s looking for the biggest win of his career, as measured by the ATP rankings, over world No. 2 Alcaraz.
–IANS
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