Daniil Medvedev delivers Carlos Alcaraz his first defeat of 2026 at Indian Wells.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Daniil Medvedev dealt top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first defeat of the season and progressed to the final at Indian Wells with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Saturday.
The 11th-seeded Medvedev, hailing from Russia, will compete against second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy. Sinner triumphed over Alexander Zverev with a score of 6-2, 6-4.
Alcaraz had achieved 16 consecutive victories this year, which included championships at the Australian Open and Qatar Open. However, Medvedev thwarted the prospect of an Alcaraz vs. Sinner final. Medvedev had lost his previous four encounters with Alcaraz, including a defeat in the Indian Wells final in 2024. This marked Medvedev’s first win over him since the U.S. Open semifinals in 2023.
Sinner efficiently dispatched Zverev, completing the match in 1 hour, 23 minutes. Sinner recorded six aces against the fourth-seeded Zverev.
Zverev began strong, winning his first eight points on serve. Nevertheless, Sinner broke Zverev in both the fifth and seventh games to clinch the first set. Sinner now holds a 7-4 advantage in their head-to-head series against Zverev.
In the women’s doubles final, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova defeated Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-4. This victory marked Townsend’s first at Indian Wells and Siniakova’s second, as she also won in 2023 alongside her longtime partner Barbora Krejcikova.
Townsend and Siniakova overcame Danilina and Krunic in 94 minutes, largely due to winning 80% of their first-serve points and 82% of their second serve.
Source: espn.com
