Yardbarker
x
Carlos Alcaraz matches incredible Rafael Nadal ATP record after beating Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells
Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Chapter one of the Sunshine Double ends as defending champion Carlos Alcaraz emerges victorious against Daniil Medvedev . It was just another match for the in-form Spaniard, who continued with his Houdini acts. 

After a weary start, Alcaraz found his mojo and has been impressive. Closing out the gap in the first set, he produced some incredible backhand shots in the tiebreak to win the set comfortably. Well, it seems like the young sensation is indeed back after a long poor run.

Having had no aces in his semi-final match against Jannik Sinner, the Spaniard hit two in the first set. Soon, what started as unforced errors became winners for the defending champion, and he was already a set away from a victory. 

Interestingly enough, the second set was a reverse in terms of set leads. While Daniil Medvedev took an early lead in the first, it was Alcaraz who took an early break in the second. The Russian stood no chance against Alcaraz, who continued with his dominant form. 

In the blink of an eye, Alcaraz also had a major lead in the second set and closed out the match in style. He beat Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-1, to win his first title of the season. On the other hand, Medvedev is still in search of a maiden 2024 title, despite some amazing performances. 

That’s not all; the World No. 2 became the only second player to win 5 Masters titles before the age of 21. The first to achieve this feat is none other than his idol Rafael Nadal himself.

He also moved ahead of Novak Djokovic to win five or more 1000 titles before turning 21. The young Spaniard will now move on to the Miami Open, to try to complete the Sunshine Double.

Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the champion of Tennis Paradise as he repeated his 2023 performance

Carlos Alcaraz became the eighth man to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles since Boris Becker did it for the first time. After a slow start in 2024, the Spaniard was back on top of his game. 

For a second straight year, he was crowned the champion at Indian Wells, where he recorded his 13th ATP title. It was a repeat of 2023 for the Spaniard, who managed to bring out the same result. He beat Medvedev again, who was denied a win in the desert. 

Notably, Indian Wells remains the hard-court title that Medvedev could not win, as he was arguably not in the game. Though Medvedev tried to change his gameplay, he could not match Alcaraz’s flexibility and speed. 

With this, Alcaraz won his first title since Wimbledon and revealed that this win gave him immense confidence, as he rewrote the books of history.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.