CARLOS ALCARAZ HAS regained the world number one ranking as he claimed the BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells without losing a set.
The 19-year-old Spaniard ended Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak 6-3 6-2 to reclaim the top spot in the ATP rankings he lost to Novak Djokovic in January.
Medvedev – who has climbed one spot to number five – had won his three previous tournaments in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai.
He had also won the pair’s only previous meeting – at Wimbledon in 2021 – but the 27-year-old had no answer to his teenage opponent’s patient but aggressive game plan in windy conditions.
Alcaraz seized control with an immediate break in both sets, opening a 3-0 lead in the first and winning the opening 10 points in the second as he raced away to a 4-0 lead.
California Carlos 🌴🏆@carlosalcaraz does not drop a set en route to winning a maiden Indian Wells title. He snaps Medvedev’s 19-match win streak 6-3, 6-2.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/0rVX4s9JMP
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 20, 2023
And he rarely looked troubled as Medvedev failed to repeat the sparkling form from his semi-final victory over Frances Tiafoe.
Alcaraz hit 18 winners to Medvedev’s five, repeatedly exploiting his opponent’s deep position with a string of drop shots.
He clinched his third ATP Masters 1000 title – joining compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only men to reach that mark as a teenager – without facing a break point.
And he will chase a fourth, still two shy of Nadal’s tally before turning 20, when he aims to defend his Miami Open title from Saturday.
Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina gained revenge for her Australian Open final defeat in January as she sunk world number two Aryna Sabalenka to win the BNP Paribas Masters.
Indian Wells has a 🆕 CHAMPION 🏆
— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2023
What a week in #TennisParadise for Elena Rybakina! pic.twitter.com/zTZYiAHNPr
The Kazakh player held her nerve to clinch a 78-minute first set before wrapping up a 7-6 (11) 6-4 win and her first title since her surprise Wimbledon triumph last summer.
It also helped Rybakina to erase the memory of her defeat to the Belarussian in Melbourne, having taken the first set against her big-serving opponent.
Sabalenka had stormed into the final and looked set to take control when she claimed the first break for 3-2, but her sporadic serving problems returned and a double-fault handed her opponent the break straight back.
As Sabalenka continued to struggle on serve, Rybakina, who beat world number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, took control in a 17-minute tie-break and eventually secured the advantage on her sixth set point.
Rybakina built on her advantage by breaking Sabalenka to love in the first game of the second set, then broke again to move to the cusp of victory at 5-2.
Sabalenka suggested one last twist by denying Rybakina in her first opportunity to serve for the match, but the Kazakh made no mistake second time around to wrap up the second biggest win of her career.
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