Alcaraz wins Indian Wells for the second time in a row by beating Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz was doubtful about his twisted right ankle before he arrived at Indian Wells. He’s leaving as a two-time champion. 

In the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday, he triumphed over Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5), 6-1 for the second year in a row, securing his first trophy since winning Wimbledon the previous year. 

Iga Swiatek won the women's title after defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in just over an hour. Over the course of the 12-day competition, Swiatek lost just 21 games, or an average of 3.5 games per match. 

In late February, Alcaraz suffered a sprained ankle at the Rio Open. His first practice at Indian Wells was motionless for thirty minutes. He claimed in a statement that his first practice with the other pros "was really tough for me." 

Alcaraz outlasted Jannik Sinner in a three-set semifinal after needing three sets to get out of his second-round match. 

“After every match I was feeling better,” Alcaraz said. “I was getting more confident after every match. Winning a Master 1000 again, an important tournament to win, gives you motivation to keep going.” 

Since Novak Djokovic won three straight Indian Wells titles from 2014 to 2016, Alcaraz became the only guy to successfully defend the championship. In the desert of Southern California last year, he defeated Medvedev 6-3, 6-2.  

"This is your court, you're comfortable here," Medvedev remarked to Alcaraz at the winning ceremony. "Hopefully you'll allow me to play here a little bit better one day." 

In the first set, Medvedev enjoyed a 3-0 lead as Alcaraz committed eight unintentional errors. To square the match, 3-3, the Spaniard won three straight games.  

For the remainder of the set, the players held serve, and Alcaraz served a love game to start the tiebreaker. Before Medvedev knotted it 5-5, he had leads of 3-0 and 5-2. The next two points were gained by Alcaraz. 

In the second set, Medvedev had one winner and nine errors; Alcaraz had the only two breaks.  

Alcaraz had 25 winners and 26 unforced errors during the match, compared to Medvedev's 11 winners and 23 unforced errors. 

With her victories leading the WTA Tour, Swiatek advanced to 20-2 this year.  

The final, in which Swiatek defeated Sakkari 6-4, 6-1, was replicated. Since 2021, Sakkari has not triumphed over the Polish star.