First seed Carlos Alcaraz ended Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match winning run with a 6-3 6-2 sweep in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, allowing him to leap Novak Djokovic and reclaim the world number one status.
Carlos Alcaraz did not drop a set in six matches at the event, and his performance in the California desert provides him more confidence ahead of his Miami Open title defense. “I’m playing great. Of course, today, the conditions were pretty tough. Of course, Daniil didn’t play at his best,” Alcatraz stated. But, he added, he’s really happy with his performance and the way he played this tournament, and he’s looking forward to playing at this level in Miami.
Carlos Alcaraz had a perfect start to the duel of first-time Indian Wells finals, breaking early for a 2-0 lead and dropping just six games on serve, speeding through the first set in 36 minutes.
Daniil Medvedev, the Russian fifth seed seeking to add to his titles from Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai in the previous month, was unable to halt the bleeding and had no answer for the Spaniard’s brilliance the rest of the way.
Carlos Alcaraz broke to fall in the opening game of the second session and held at love for a 2-0 lead as a dejected Medvedev dropped 10 points in a row stretching back to the first session. The hard-hitting Spaniard dragged Medvedev from corner to corner, consolidating another break for a comfortable 4-0 lead while scarcely breaking a sweat in a stress-free triumph in 70 minutes without facing a breakpoint.
A damaged and battered After rolling his right ankle in the fourth round and cutting open his thumb in the quarter-final, Medvedev was not at his best. In the final match, he could not deal with the windy circumstances.
“It was a surprising week in many aspects,” Daniil Medvedev stated. “The ankle, the thumb, the tennis, wind, whatever. But we almost made it. … I will try to be better next time.”
Source – Indian Express
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