match report
Sinner leads Medvedev in Indian Wells final
Sinner and Medvedev aim to complete hard-court ATP Masters 1000 title
March 15, 2026
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Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells.
Sam Jacott
Jannik Sinner took the lead in the BNP Paribas Open final by winning the first set 7-6(6) over Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells on Sunday.
Sinner and Medvedev are both trying to join Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in completing all six ATP 1000 hard-court Masters titles. Sinner is seeking his 100th Masters 1,000 win in Sunday’s showdown, his first Indian Wells final.
In a fast-paced first set, Medvedev took over against Alcaraz, swinging freely and putting Sinner under early pressure. The 30-year-old won the first six points of the match but was unable to convert that momentum into an early break and then had to withstand pressure from the Italian on his own serve at 3-3 and 4-4.
Sinner, who requested a medical timeout at 3-4 to have his right ankle re-bandaged, failed to capitalize on two break opportunities in the set and was often pushed from side to side by Medvedev’s clean, aggressive groundstrokes. With nothing to separate them, Sinner was more clinical in the tie-break. The 24-year-old seized the advantage when Medvedev left a forehand volley at 5/4, then ended the match on his second set point before wasting his first when he hit a forehand to the net at 6/5.
This is Medvedev’s third appearance in a championship showdown, having previously lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 and 2024 championship matches. The 30-year-old got his revenge on Alcaraz in Saturday’s semi-finals and is now seeking to become the first player since Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals to defeat Alcaraz and Sinner at the same event.
Medvedev lifted the trophy in Dubai last month and continued that form in California, where he has yet to drop a set. He will definitely return to the top 10 in the PIF ATP rankings on Monday, but if he can force a comeback and improve his record to 8-8 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Sinner, he will move up to No. 9.
Sinner has won 10 consecutive Masters 1000 matches after winning Paris last November. If the Italian lifts his 25th Tour-level trophy on Sunday, he will also become the first player to win consecutive Masters 1000 titles without dropping a set since the series began in 1990.
