World quantity two Jannik Sinner is celebrating with the Indian Wells trophy. Photograph: AFP
INDIAN WELLS:
World quantity two Jannik Sinner surged dwelling to beat Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) on Sunday to seize his first Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 crown.
4-time Grand Slam champion Sinner gained his first title of 2026, rallying from 0-4 down within the second-set tiebreaker to seal the win in opposition to a resurgent Medvedev, winner of the title in Dubai final month who was driving a nine-match ATP profitable streak.
That included an upset semi-final overcome Carlos Alcaraz that ended the top-ranked Spaniard’s 16-match profitable streak to start out the season.
However Sinner, who did not drop a set within the match, proved simply that bit higher in a match the place each units went to the tiebreakers with out a break of serve.
“I stored believing and stored pushing,” Sinner stated of his closing burst. “I went for my photographs a bit extra. A 3rd set, we might have began even, so I attempted my finest to shut it out and I’m very blissful.
“It was an unbelievable ending,” added Sinner, who stated he wasn’t troubled by the new afternoon temperatures because of the shortage of humidity and a few additional days of pre-tournament preparation.
Sinner did not face a break level within the one-hour 55-minute contest, profitable 43 of the 47 factors on which he put his first serve in play.
Medvedev saved the one two break factors he confronted within the seventh recreation of the opening set, however Sinner’s tiebreaker prowess proved an excessive amount of.
Medvedev was up 5-4 within the first-set tiebreaker when he let a ball sail by him and it landed in.
He’d go on to avoid wasting one set level, however Sinner gave himself one other with a blistering forehand that the Russian could not deal with and pocketed the set with a thundering service winner.
Medvedev seemed on observe to stage the match when he raced to a 4-0 lead within the second-set decider — aided by Sinner’s second double-fault of the match.
However Sinner roared dwelling to hitch Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the one gamers to win all six of the ATP’s hardcourt Masters 1000 tournaments.
“It feels superb, nice achievement,” stated Sinner, who was already turning his gaze to the Miami Open, the second leg of the “Sunshine Double” the place males’s first-round play begins on Wednesday.
“I’ve couple of days to chill out (however) there may be not a lot time in between right here and Miami … we attempt to play the perfect tennis potential there, too.”
Bittersweet feeling
Medvedev stated the end result was “bittersweet” after a semi-final victory over Alcaraz — who beat him within the Indian Wells finals in 2023 and 2024 — that felt like profitable the match.
“However that is not the truth,” he stated. “There’s a ultimate to play. I had my alternative, small alternative within the first set. A bit greater alternative within the tiebreak within the second.
“However on the similar time, I used to be hanging by not huge margins in the entire set.
“It is a bittersweet feeling the place it feels good to do what I did this week. However after all I needed to attempt to push him much more. He was serving phenomenal. (It) was tremendous robust to be on the return place in the present day.”
Whereas Medvedev missed an opportunity to grow to be simply the second participant to beat each Alcaraz and Sinner in the identical match, the previous world primary underscored his return to type after a disappointing 2025 marketing campaign and can return to the highest 10 on Monday.
“It is nice to see Daniil again taking part in this stage,” Sinner stated. “I do imagine that tennis wants him.”
