Unstoppable Carlos ALCARAZ, conquers Daniil MEDVEDEV to claim his second Indian Wells title

Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) successfully defends the Indian Wells crown after defeating Daniil Medvedev (No. 4) 7-6(5), 6-1. In a rematch of the 2023 final, the Spaniard recovered from a shaky start to claim his 5th Masters 1000 title and 13th tournament victory of his career.

Alcaraz joins Rafael Nadal as the only players to achieve 5+ Masters 1000 titles before turning 21 since the start of the Open Era and becomes the first player to defend the title at Tennis Paradise since Novak Djokovic between 2014 and 2016.

Both players appeared tense at the beginning, although it was Carlos who made more errors in the early games. The Spaniard seemed somewhat sluggish in his movement on the court, with Medvedev dictating the pace in the rallies.

The Russian seized the first break advantage, capitalizing on Alcaraz's slow start. However, the Spaniard managed to find his footing and loosen up his shots to gradually get back into the match. The 2-time Grand Slam champion broke back and leveled the score at 3-3.

With the match becoming more balanced, it all came down to the tie-break, a moment of high tension where Alcaraz stood strong in the crucial moments and clinched the set 7-6(5) in 70 minutes despite the challenging start.

The second set tilted in Alcaraz's favor right from the start. Within a few minutes, he secured an early break and surged ahead 3-0. Unlike Medvedev in the first set, Alcaraz managed to hold his serve without too many problems and maintained a comfortable lead.

The duel concluded with Alcaraz in total command, securing a second break and then closing out the match with a 7-6(5), 6-1 victory, successfully defending the Indian Wells title with a streak of 12 consecutive wins in the California desert.

Alcaraz maintains his No. 2 ranking, although still with a significant gap behind Novak Djokovic at the top. His next challenge awaits him next week at the Miami Open, where he defends last year's semifinal appearance.