Reaching the finals in the two Masters 1000 that usually take place in March, in Indian Wells and Miami, is a rarer achievement than reaching the top spot in the ranking. However, at the age of 19, Carlos Alcaraz became the 18th player to make the list, after defeating Jannik Sinner in the BNP Paribas Open semi-final. The Spanish tennis player, one of the 28 players who have already led the ATP ranking, triumphed in Miami last year and will try to complete the Sunshine Double – the name by which the “double” is known.
In another episode of a rivalry that many hope will last a long time, Alcaraz (2nd) overcame Sinner (13th), by 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 — a much shorter encounter than than the epic quarter-final of the last US Open, which ended at 2:50 am in New York. “I would say that we are going to have a great rivalry for years to come. We are playing in the big tournaments and we are going to play big games. What I can say is that I am very happy with my first final in Indian Wells”, said the Spaniard.
Sinner started by leading 4-2, but a series of 11 consecutive points reversed the situation in favor of Alcaraz. At 6-5, the 21-year-old Italian was still within a point of winning the set, but Alcaraz found a way out of that situation. “Facing Jannik is never easy. I had to overcome some problems, I faced a set-point and I knew I had to raise my level. In the second set, I put my nerves aside and played more relaxed. I think that was the key to everything”, explained Alcaraz.
In the final, the tennis player from Murcia will meet Daniil Medvedev, the only tennis player in the top 10 who has ever faced and never won – in the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, the Russian won without losing a set. “I really want to face the best tennis players in the world. I’ve always said that, to be the best, you have to beat the best and I would say that Daniil is the best right now, he’s on an amazing series”, recognized Alcaraz. In the semi-finals, Medvedev (6th) added his 19th consecutive victory and eliminated the North American Frances Tiafoe (16th), by 7-5, 7-6 (7/4).
The victory in the last meeting of the BNP Paribas Open will allow Alcaraz to return to the first place in the ranking and dethrone Novak Djokovic who was prevented from entering the USA, to dispute this tournament and the one in Miami.
In the women’s final, Elena Rybakina (10th) won her first title in the Masters 1000 category, defeating Aryna Sabalenka (2nd), by 7-6 (13/11), 6-4. Rybakina’s first victory over the Belarusian in five duels (including the Australian Open final) was marked by the first set of 78 minutes, in which Sabalenka added 10 double-faults and eight set pointssix of which for Russian.