Carlos Alcaraz cruises to BNP Paribas Open title, regains World No.1 ranking
Carlos Alcaraz was in cruise control at Indian Wells, claiming his third Masters title without dropping a set.
Carlos Alcaraz.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.
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.
<p>"It feels amazing to lift the trophy here, to recover the No. 1 [ranking]... I would say this has been the perfect tournament," he reflected, as per <em>atptour.com.</em></p>
"It was good for me, [at] this tournament that I really wanted to win, and for me, it's amazing.
"I have no doubts about my shots. I feel really comfortable on court. I really trust in every shot that I hit. Of course, that's why I'm playing a great level, because if I miss, I don't mind. I don't care about the miss. I'm just trying to hit 100 percent in every shot and having no doubts about the shot."
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