Alcaraz beats Medvedev to win second straight Indian Wells title

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Indian Wells crown with a 7-6(5) 6-1 win over Daniil Medvedev in the final on Sunday.

In a rematch of last year’s final, Alcaraz started sloppily, spraying errors around the court to fall 3-0 down but raised his level and captured the first set when his Russian opponent’s forehand went wide in the tiebreak.

The Spaniard romped through the second set, raising his arms in the air and letting out a roar when Medvedev missed another forehand wide on match point.

Second seed Alcaraz smacked 25 winners to Medvedev’s 11 and was especially effective against his opponent’s second serves.

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“I enjoy playing these kind of matches with you,” Alcaraz told Medvedev during the trophy ceremony. “Hopefully more finals ahead.”

It was an eventful stay in the California desert for the 20-year-old Alcaraz.

The two-time major champion was stung on the forehead when a swarm of bees invaded the court on Thursday, kept his number two ranking by ending Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak in the semis and slayed the big-serving fourth seed Medvedev in the final.