Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz regains the world number 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic after defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to win the Indian Wells final.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz snapped Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the Indian Wells final on Sunday that will see him topple Novak Djokovic and return to world No. 1 in the classification.
Alcaraz did not drop a set in six matches at the tournament and her performance in the California desert gives her an extra confidence boost ahead of her Miami Open title defense.
‘I’m playing very well. Of course, today, today’s conditions were quite harsh. Of course Daniil didn’t play at his best, obviously,” Alcaraz said.
‘All I can say is that I’m very happy with my performance, the way I was playing this tournament. I’m looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.’
Alcaraz enjoyed a dream start to the Indian Wells first-time finalists’ showdown, as she earned an early break for a 2-0 lead and dropped just six points on serve, overcoming the first set in 36 minutes.
Carlos Alcaraz returned to world No. 1 on Sunday after winning the Indian Wells final
The top seed snapped Daniil Medvedev’s (left) 19-match winning streak to win the Indian Wells final
The Spanish teenager sensationally did not drop a set in six matches at the tournament.
Fifth-seeded Russian Medvedev, looking to add another title to his wins in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai over the past month, was unable to stop the bleeding and had no answer to the Spaniard’s brilliance the rest of the way.
Alcaraz broke to love in the first game of the second set and was held to love for a 2-0 lead as a resigned Medvedev dropped 10 straight points from the first frame.
The hard-hitting Spaniard continued to drag Medvedev from corner to corner and cemented another break for a commanding 4-0 lead while barely breaking a sweat as he wrapped up a seemingly stress-free victory in 70 minutes without facing a break point.
A bruised and battered Medvedev was clearly not at his best after spraining his right ankle in the fourth round and then cutting his thumb in the quarterfinals. He also couldn’t deal with the windy conditions during the final.
“It was an amazing week in many ways,” Medvedev said. The ankle, the thumb, the sneakers, the wind, whatever. But we almost made it. … I’ll try to be better next time.’
The win marked the third ATP Masters 1000 trophy for the 19-year-old Alcaraz, who became the world’s youngest number one last September when he won the US Open and held that spot for 20 weeks until Djokovic regained it in January.
Djokovic withdrew from the draw for the Indian Wells event in an indication that his application for a COVID-19 vaccine exemption to enter the US may have failed. The Serb has also withdrawn from the Miami Open.
His performance in the California desert gives him a boost ahead of the Miami Open title defense
A bruised and battered Medvedev was clearly not at his best after injuries in earlier rounds.
Alcaraz outclasses Novak Djokovic after he was unable to play due to COVID restrictions
