Sinner beats Medvedev in the desert to claim his first Indian Wells title – Tennis Now
Daniil Medvedev attempted to climb an Everest-sized mountain in the California desert, and the former world No. 1 almost succeeded.
But his bid to become the first player since spring 2024 to win the tournament featuring Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was thwarted by a flawless Sinner, who withstood everything the Russian threw at him and claimed his first Indian Wells title with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) victory.
For Medvedev, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday’s semifinals, it was third time lucky in an Indian Wells final – he had previously lost to Alcaraz in the title fight in 2023 and 2024.
It’s not for lack of effort. In a close match, 2001 champion Andre Agassi sat courtside in Larry Ellison’s box, with neither player able to create a break point.
Sinner had to do it the hard way, crossing the finish line thanks to well-timed tennis and a late rally that finally put Medvedev on stage.
Medvedev had a chance to get the first mini-break in the first-set tiebreaker, but instead of volleying the ball, he allowed Sinner’s pass to score. It fell inbounds for a clean win and Sinner quickly struck to score his second point of the 60-minute match.
A break in the second set saw Medvedev lead 4-0 after Sinner committed an unforced error and a double fault in the first four points, but the Italian screamed the next seven points and sealed the final in one hour and 55 minutes.
Sinner has now won 22 consecutive sets at Masters 1000 events since winning the title in Paris last year. He is the only player to win two consecutive Masters 1000 events without losing a set. He has also completed six consecutive Masters 1000 hard court titles and has now won titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.
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