Alcaraz stuns Sinner and advances to the final of Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 7-6(4), 6-3 at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells and will play the final against Daniil Medvedev.

Alcaraz and Sinner are poised as great rivals for the coming years. Both are young (19 and 21 years old) and are among the most talented players on the circuit. Before Indian Wells, they had played four matches, with two wins each, although the last one was the most impactful for fans. In the quarterfinals of the last US Open, Alcaraz saved a match point against and won in 5 sets, in what many considered the best match of 2022.

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Carlos Alcaraz had no major problems eliminating Felix Auger-Aliassime in two sets to advance to the semifinal. The Spaniard arrived in California without having played any hard court tournaments during the year, as he was injured at the start of the season. He only played on South American clay before Indian Wells, as he had to take a break after a new injury suffered in the Rio Open final against Cameron Norrie.

Jannik Sinner defeated last year's champion and local Taylor Fritz in 3 sets in the quarterfinals. The Italian was looking for his second Masters 1000 final after the one he played with Hubert Hurckacz in Miami 2021. Before arriving in the California desert, he won the Sud de France Open crown and lost the Rotterdam final against Daniil Medvedev.

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In the first set, Alcaraz broke in the fifth game and then confirmed it on his serve, taking a 4-2 lead. The Italian remained calm and took advantage of several consecutive errors from his opponent, won eleven straight points and took the lead 5-4. The 21-year-old player had a set point in his favor at 6-5 when his rival was serving, but a spectacular dropshot from Alcaraz saved it and he was able to take the set to the tie-break. So far, in all their matches, at least one tie-break has been played.

In the second set, Sinner clearly lowered his level and Alcaraz dominated from the start. The Spaniard quickly broke and took a 3-0 lead, a lead that was enough for Alcaraz to hold his serve and prevent the Italian from getting back into the match.

With this, the Spanish player will play the final against Russian Daniil Medvedev and could win his fourth Master 1000. Additionally, there is the possibility of returning to being world No. 1.

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