New Delhi: Daniil Medvedev beat world no.1 Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the semifinal to reach the final at Indian Wells 2026 on Saturday. Medvedev defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to book a final showdown against world no.2 Jannik Sinner. The Russian also ended Alcaraz’s 16-match unbeaten streak in 2026.
Alcaraz headed into the semifinal with a 16-0 record, having not lost a single match this year. However, he failed to get past Medvedev, who was on top of his game. Medvedev kept his composure throughout the game and utilised his experience to battle past Alcaraz, who gave him a tough time in the second set.
Medvedev was relentless and aggressive in the first set, breaking Alcaraz early to gain control of the proceedings. The Russian went on to clinch the first set 6-3. In the 2nd set, Alcaraz bounced back as the duo engaged in an intense battle. However, some unforced errors from Alcaraz and exhausting exchanges saw Medvedev edge the world no.1 7-6 (7/3) in the tiebreaker to win the semifinal.
With his win, the Russian, who suffered a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open earlier this year, extended his winning streak to nine matches. Medvedev won the Dubai Tennis Championships last month, following which he got stuck in the city briefly due to the ongoing war in West Asia.
However, he made it in time for the Indian Wells and has now reached his third final in the tournament. Medvedev reached the final of the Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024, finishing as a runner-up on both occasions after losing to Alcaraz.
Speaking after the final, Medvedev acknowledged that only a near-perfect performance could have seen him get past Alcaraz, who is arguably one of the best players in the world at present.
“Playing someone like Carlos, you play many times… you lose many times. He’s an amazing player. You need to be at your best and I was. Super happy to beat someone as strong as him.” Medvedev said after beating the world no.1 in the semifinal.
“He’s an amazing player with amazing shots, defence, attack, serve, return, everything. So you need to be at your best — and I was,” he added.
Daniil Medvedev to face Jannik Sinner in final
After overcoming the Alcaraz challenge, another big test awaits Medvedev in the Indian Wells 2026 final. The Russian will be up against the world no.2 Sinner, who has been in terrific form in the tournament so far. The 24-year-old Italian didn’t have the perfect start to the year as he lost in the semifinal of the Australian Open 2026 against Novak Djokovic.
However, the four-time Grand Slam winner has since regained his mojo. Sinner defeated fourth seed Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinal to storm into the final of the Indian Wells 2026. Sinner is ye to drop a set in the tournament and will be looking to cap off his dominant run in the final against Medvedev on Monday.