Stephen Dunmoye
Carlos Alcaraz ended Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak with a 6-3 6-2 victory over the Russian in the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to regain the top spot in the ATP rankings that he lost to Novak Djokovic in January.
Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak came to an end after being defeated by Alvaraz in the Indian Wells.
The victory over Daniel was also the 19-year-old’s third ATP Masters 1000 title without facing a break point.
Medvedev, 27 – who also climbed one spot to No 5 in the ATP rankings had won the three previous tournaments he participated in (Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai) prior to this one.
He also defeated Carlos the last time they met at Wimbledon in 2021, their only previous meeting.
Alcaraz was totally dominant over the Russian as he seized control with an immediate break in both sets, opening a 3-0 lead in the first set and winning the first 10 points in the second set as he raced away to a 4-0 advantage.
He rarely looked troubled as Medvedev failed to repeat the sparkling form from his semi-final victory over Frances Tiafoe.
Alcaraz hit 18 winners to Medvedev’s five, repeatedly exploiting his opponent’s deep position with a string of drop shots.
After clinching his third ATP Masters 1000 title with the victory over Medvedev in India Wells, Carlos Alcaraz now joins his compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only men to reach that mark as a teenager – without facing a break point.
He is still two shy of Nadal’s total of 5 tally before turning 20though and he will hope to close the margin even further by getting a fourth when he tries to defend his Miami Open title from Saturday.
Speaking after the victory, he said “I’m playing great, of course today, the conditions today were pretty tough. Daniil didn’t play at his best, obviously.
“All I can say is I’m really happy with my performance, the way that I was playing this tournament. I’m looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.”
