Carlos Alcaraz continues to rewrite Indian Wells record with impressive performance in Casper Ruud win | ATP Tour

Indian Wells

Alcaraz continues to rewrite Indian Wells record with impressive performance in Luther win

The world No.1 will next face Norrie – the last player besides Sinner to beat him

March 11, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz continues to send strong signals on the ATP Tour in 2026 and his fourth-round win over Caspar Ruud at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday provided further evidence.

The PIF ATP No. 1 produced a composed and entertaining performance to win 6-1, 7-6(2) and advance to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells for the fifth consecutive year. Alcaraz, a two-time hard-court ATP Masters 1000 champion, started strong and then used Ruud’s improvement in the second set to make it 6-1 in the Lexus ATP head-to-head match.

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“Honestly, I couldn’t play the first set,” Alcaraz said with a laugh. “I’m really happy to be able to play at this level. I’m really happy to get through and hopefully [I can] Play this level in the next round.

“I think I can have fun and enjoy it, but I can also refocus my mind and my focus. I try to play my best tennis on every point, but when a point is worth a smile, I have to do it. That’s what happened today. Casper hit some great points and I have to enjoy that. That’s why we all play tennis.”

With the 91-minute victory, Alcaraz extended his unbeaten run to 15 matches in 2026, having won the Australian Open in January before adding another title at the ATP 500 event in Doha. Next up will be a meeting with another former champion, 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, in the California desert.

After defeating Arthur Rinderknech in the previous round, Alcaraz recognized the need to get off to a strong start against Ruud and delivered immediately. He electrified the crowd early on, hitting two audacious lobs in the third game before asserting his authority on the court.

Alcaraz moved Ruud ruthlessly from corner to corner with his sweeping shots and used his clever changes to keep the pressure on the Norwegian. With this victory, the Spaniard also became the first player to reach the quarter-finals of Indian Wells five times before the age of 23.

Now standing between Alcaraz and the semifinals is Nori, the latest player to beat him besides world No. 2 Jannik Sinner. In October last year, the two met in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 Series in Paris, with the Briton fighting back and winning in three sets.

Earlier on Wednesday, Norrie continued his strong run in Indian Wells with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata. The 30-year-old reached the ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals for the fifth time and his fourth at the California tournament, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.