Every streak has a beginning and an end, because in tennis no one wins forever. Not even Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion.
On Saturday at Indian Wells, Daniil Medvedev ended the Spaniard’s winning run this season, which stopped at 16 consecutive victories. Alcaraz’s streak of 34 straight wins on outdoor hard courts also came to an end — the third-best run of the Open Era, shared with Pete Sampras.
Alcaraz had not lost in those conditions since the second round of the Miami Masters last year, when Belgium’s David Goffin upset him.
Much of the credit goes to a resurgent Medvedev, who leads the tour this year in matches won (18–3). The Russian defeated Alcaraz 6–3, 7–6 (3) in 97 minutes, taking advantage, it must be said, of an off day from the Spaniard, who had beaten him in their previous four meetings and still leads the head-to-head 6–3.
Medvedev, who returns to the top 10, also gained revenge for the two finals he lost to Alcaraz in the California desert in 2023 and 2024. It was his eighth victory over a world No. 1 (8–8).
The 30-year-old, who recently won the ATP 500 title in Dubai, now has a chance to capture the only ATP Masters 1000 event on hard court that he has yet to win. He will face Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final (4 p.m. ET). The Italian defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6–2, 6–4 in the other semifinal.
“When you play a tournament where both Carlos and Jannik are in the draw, there’s a good chance that if you want to win it, you’ll have to beat both,” Medvedev said. “I’m happy to play against Jannik. If I can maintain the level I’ve shown all week, or even improve it a little, I’ll have my chances.”
A dominant first set from Medvedev
Medvedev played the first set masterfully. His backhand and heavy spin serves caused constant problems for Alcaraz.
The Spaniard was broken in the fourth game, and the Moscow native also returned superbly, maintaining control of the set to close it out. Alcaraz committed 11 unforced errors in the opening set alone.
“I’m not hitting the ball well,” he told his team during the match.
In the second set he briefly found a breakthrough, earning a break of serve, but the lead did not last. Medvedev immediately broke back, saved two set points and eventually sealed the victory in the tiebreak.
Medvedev: “I was at my best”
“It feels great,” Medvedev said afterward. “When you play against someone like Carlos, most of the time you lose. He’s an incredible player with incredible shots — defense, attack, serve, return — he has everything. So you have to be at your best, and today I was.”
“I served very well and saved a couple of set points. I also saved break points earlier, so in the second set I just tried to hang in there and keep playing great tennis. I’m very happy to beat someone as strong as him.”
Alcaraz looks ahead to Miami
Shortly after the loss in the Indian Wells semifinals, Alcaraz spoke to reporters and praised his opponent’s performance.
“First of all I have to give Daniil credit,” he said. “I think he played an incredible match from beginning to end. Honestly, I’ve never seen him play like that. He fully deserved the win and to be in the final here.”
Alcaraz admitted the conditions and Medvedev’s style made the match physically demanding.
“Rallies against Daniil are very long and you have to put a lot of power into almost every shot,” he explained. “That means you spend extra energy on every point. In these conditions it can be difficult.”
The Spaniard also said he was surprised by how aggressive Medvedev played throughout the match.
“I knew he would try to be aggressive, but the way he did it surprised me. He was aggressive and hardly made the mistakes I expected.”
Despite the defeat, Alcaraz said he is already looking forward. Instead of returning home, he will travel directly to Miami, where the next ATP Masters 1000 event begins later this week.
“Right now I’m a little disappointed,” he admitted. “But at the same time I try to see the positive side. When opponents have to play at this level to beat you, it means you have to be ready for that in every match. All you can do is accept