Double champion in the desert: Carlos Alcaraz wins his first title of the year at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz (2nd ATP) buried doubts at the start of the year with a spectacular pass in the Californian desert. After falling in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and returning injured and titleless from the South American tour, the world number two won his fifth Masters 1000, the second in a row at Indian Wells.

Coronation which comes after beating Daniil Medvedev (4th) by 7-6(5) and 6-1 in the grand final of the competition. A match of extremes for the Murcian, who started 0-3 in the first set, showing a combination of spectacular points with unusual errors in his game.

He endured the storm and meted out the punishments until he found parity. Tied 3-3, they maintained parity until the tie-break, where the 20-year-old won the first set. It was a moment of the utmost importance, because at the end of the day, losing the set stopped the Russian’s momentum. He suffered a break in his first service game and went 0-3 on the scoreboard. There, he saved one, but he was far from doing more damage. Brutal 6-1 for Carlitos, who celebrated by hugging his team in the stands.

In this way, Alcaraz successfully defends the Indian Wells crown by beating the same player he beat in 2023. A year ago, they played in the same instance, on this same court. The Murcia team also won there, but with a much larger margin: 6-3 and 6-2.

For the world number two, it is also his fifth Masters 1000. In 2022, he won Miami and Madrid while last year he won the aforementioned Indian Wells title and his second crown in the Spanish capital.

The tournament also serves to decompress the present of the double Grand Slam champion, who He had not won an event precisely since his victory at Wimbledon, in July 2023. . After beating Djokovic on the London grass, the tennis prodigy had to settle for the Cincinatti final and the US Open semi-finals as his best results on the circuit. This 2024 added quarter-finals in Melbourne, semi-finals in Buenos Aires and a second round in Rio de Janeiro.

Iga Swiatek (1st WTA) has left the shock of the Australian Open behind her. Then during her defeat in the third round of the Oceanic Grand Slam, the world number one hit the circuit hard. First with his victory at the Masters 1000 in Doha and now with his coronation at Indian Wells.

She beat the Greek María Sakkari (9th) 6-4 and 6-1 and claims to lift the trophy without having lost a set. An extraordinary performance, which gives her her second coronation in Palm Spring after being champion in 2022.

“Things are not as simple as they seem. Being number one can make you lose focus and make you believe you have to win every game. . “It is necessary to find a good mental approach to take advantage of the confidence that comes from knowing that if I play at my best, I am able to beat anyone,” said the champion at a press conference .

Her rival, on the other hand, explained why it is so difficult to play against the four-time Grand Slam champion. “She is very aggressive and constantly takes up your time. In order to defeat it, You have to be ultra aggressive and have a lot of precision. If you don’t take advantage of the few opportunities available to you, you are dead. “Sakkari said.