Carlos Alcaraz wins a back-to-back Indian Wells ATP title by sinking Daniil Medvedev

The Russian lost both matches as world number two Carlos Alcaraz defeated him 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, on Sunday to win the Indian Wells ATP championship for the second time in a row.

Alcaraz became the first repeat winner in Indian Wells since Novak Djokovic won three tournaments in a row from 2014 to 2016 and earned his first championship since Wimbledon in July of last year.

After a shaky start to the season that featured an ankle injury that took him out of his first match in Rio de Janeiro in February and an Australian Open quarterfinal elimination, the 20-year-old Spaniard found that 12 days in the California desert proved to be just what he needed.

Regarding his mentality going into his longest title gap since winning his maiden Grand Slam victory at the US Open in 2022, he remarked, “A lot of doubts for me.”

“However, I felt better after I took the court for the first time in the first round, and I felt better and better after every match.”

Alcaraz stopped Medvedev’s attempt to claim the lone hardcourt Masters 1000 title he hasn’t yet won, just as he did the previous year.

More significantly, Alcaraz was feeling confident going into next week’s hardcourt competition in Miami and beyond, having halted Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning run the previous week.

In addition to defeating the fierce Sinner in the semifinals, Alcaraz also faced a swarm of bees during his quarterfinal triumph against Alexander Zverev, the opponent who had defeated him in Melbourne. “Obviously, winning tournaments helps a lot coming to the next ones,” the player said.

“It goes without saying that winning a Masters 1000 tournament again—which is a really difficult event to win—gives you even more drive to persevere and immense confidence for Miami both now and in the future.

Alcaraz said, “For me, it’s amazing to lift this amazing trophy again, a really beautiful one.” Alcaraz is one of only two players, along with fellow countryman Rafael Nadal, to have won five Masters 1000 championships before turning 21.

The world’s number four Medvedev got off to a fast start in this match, converting a service break into a 3-0 first-set lead. In their 2023 championship match, Medvedev was hampered by an ankle ailment.

However, in the fifth game, Alcaraz broke Medvedev with a brilliant forehand passing stroke. From then on, they engaged in thrilling exchanges punctuated by drop shots, volleys, and lobs, which continued until the tie-breaker.

In a particular rally, Alcaraz had the supporters jumping out of their seats when he first let a ball pass by, but he quickly caught it and salvaged the point.

Australian Open runner-up Medvedev rallied from a 5-2 deficit to 5-5 in the tiebreaker, but Alcaraz took the set when the Russian’s forehand went wide, and he never looked back.