Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, poses with the trophy after defeating Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, within the last match on the BNP Paribas Open tennis match, on March 17, 2024, in Indian Wells
| Photo Credit: AP
Carlos Alcaraz arrived at Indian Wells filled with doubt about his twisted proper ankle. He’s leaving as a two-time champion.
He defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5), 6-1 for the second straight yr within the BNP Paribas Open last on Sunday, incomes his first title since successful Wimbledon final yr.
Iga Swiatek beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in simply over an hour to win the ladies’s title, with Swiatek shedding simply 21 video games in six matches through the 12-day match — a mean of three.5 video games per match.
Alcaraz sprained his ankle on the Rio Open in late February. His first apply at Indian Wells lasted half-hour with none motion. His first apply with his fellow execs “was really tough for me,” he stated in a Tennis Channel interview.
Alcaraz outlasted Jannik Sinner in a three-set semifinal after needing three units to get out of his second-round match.
“After every match I was feeling better,” Alcaraz stated. “I was getting more confident after every match. Winning a Master 1000 again, a really important tournament to win, gives you motivation to keep going.”
First since Djokovic
Alcaraz grew to become the primary man to defend his Indian Wells title since Novak Djokovic received three in a row from 2014-16. He beat Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 final yr within the Southern California desert.
“It’s definitely your court, you like it here,” Medvedev informed Alcaraz through the victory ceremony. “Hopefully you can one day let me play a little bit better here.”
Medvedev led 3-0 within the first set whereas Alcaraz had eight unforced errors over these video games. The Spaniard received three video games in a row to tie it, 3-3.
The gamers held serve the remainder of the set, with Alcaraz serving a love recreation to get into the tiebreaker. He led 3-0 and 5-2 earlier than Medvedev tied it 5-5. Alcaraz received the following two factors to shut it out.
Alcaraz obtained the one two breaks within the second set, when Medvedev had one winner and 9 errors.
For the match, Alcaraz hit 25 winners and had 26 unforced errors, whereas Medvedev had 11 winners and 23 unforced errors.
Swiatek dominant
Swiatek improved to 20-2 this yr, along with her wins main the WTA Tour. It was a repeat of the 2022 last, by which Swiatek beat Sakkari 6-4, 6-1. Sakkari hasn’t defeated the Polish star since 2021.
Swiatek raced to a 3-0 lead within the opening set. Sakkari recovered to win three straight video games, together with a break of Swiatek. She served a love recreation to tie it, 4-4. Swiatek misplaced simply two factors on her serve the remainder of the set, wrapping it up with a forehand winner within the nook.
Swiatek was extra dominant within the second set, breaking Sakkari thrice all in love video games. She misplaced simply 5 factors within the set.
Swiatek hit 15 winners and had 11 unforced errors within the 1 hour, 8-minute match. Sakkari had eight winners and 18 unforced errors.
Alcaraz and Swiatek earned $1.1 million every for their wins. That’s lower than the $1.26 million the ladies’s and males’s champions obtained in 2023. This yr extra prize cash was allotted to the sooner rounds, decreasing the champions’ prize cash by almost 13%.
