Carlos Alcaraz wins again in the defense of Indian Wells

The Spaniard, who had not tasted a title since Wimbledon, once again lifted the first Masters 1,000 of the year against Medvedev

MADRID, 18 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz defeated (7-6(5), 6-1) the Russian Daniil Medvedev this Sunday to win the Indian Wells tournament for the second consecutive year, the first Masters 1,000 of the season, recovering his best version.

After a week and a half of strong emotions, the Murcian concluded the so-called 'big' fifth almost with a monologue. Alcaraz, who on his way to the final eliminated Alexander Zverev or Jannik Sinner, who had to deal with the bee attack in the quarterfinals and a three-hour suspension due to rain against the undefeated Italian, defended his dominance in the desert Californian.

An exhibition by the former world number one, an Alcaraz who is once again fearsome like when he reached the top of the ATP ranking in 2022 or when he won six titles in 2023. The last of them was Wimbledon and, from there, the Spaniard entered a more deadly stretch, some physical mishaps and more defeats than usual until this week.

The one from El Palmar, at 20 years old, recovered the path of victory to defend the trophy in Indian Wells, without discussion against a Medvedev who started with a 0-3 in favor but then fell behind against his executioner also last year . The Murcian went from less to more, with many early errors until he began to hit winners, increasing his game to recover the break in the fifth game.

The opening round remained tied until a sudden death in which Alcaraz confirmed that he was ahead in the match, not only on the scoreboard, but in game and sensations. The Russian, who tied the score at five with three points in a row, gave up the tie-break in a tough outcome that began to undermine his morale. Medvedev did not accept the partial defeat well, much less let a 0-30 slip away after the restart.

It was not in the Spaniard's plans to give up his serve in the first game and, on the attack while his rival began to get unhinged, Juan Carlos Ferrero's pupil achieved the 'break' (3-0). The Russian tried to get into the final by unleashing rackets at will and warming up the crowd, but Alcaraz did not deviate from his course towards his first title in 2024, the 13th of his career and the fifth Masters 1,000.