Continuing his dominant run, Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden Indian Wells title with an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over Daniil Medvedev in the final, here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 19-year-old Spaniard, who did not lose a set in six Indian Wells matches, will return to World No. 1 in Monday's ATP Rankings behind his trophy triumph.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It means a lot to me. To recover the No. 1 [ranking] is crazy for me," Alcaraz said after wrapping up the win in a rapid one hour, 10 minutes on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"But especially to lift the trophy here for me means a lot... I love this tournament. I really enjoy my time here and of course I felt the love from the people from day one. For me, it's amazing to complete these 10 days like this," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now a three-time ATP Masters 1000 champion as the reigning titlist in Miami and Madrid, Alcaraz is the ninth and youngest man to win both legs of the Sunshine Double -- Indian Wells and Miami -- in his career. He joins countryman Rafael Nadal as the only players to win at least three Masters 1000 titles as a teenager, with Nadal having won six before turning 20.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the other hand, Medvedev saw his 19-match and three-tournament winning streak come to a close as Alcaraz expertly handled the windy desert conditions, the top seed's patient but aggressive game plan reaping rewards with an immediate break in both sets. After racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, Alcaraz won the first 10 points of the second on the way to a 4-0 advantage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alcaraz hit 18 winners to Medvedev's five and won 10 of 13 net points in an all-action victory. The Spaniard also found success with his patented drop shot time and again, taking advantage of his opponent's deep court position.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Of course winning a tournament gives you a lot of confidence [entering Miami]," the Spaniard said, looking ahead to the year's second ATP Masters 1000 event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I'm playing great. Of course today, the conditions today were pretty tough. Of course Daniil didn't play at his best, obviously. All I can say is I'm really happy with my performance, the way that I [was] playing this tournament. I'm looking forward to playing at this level in Miami as well," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alcaraz and Medvedev did not meet in 2022 despite both men debuting as World No. 1 and spending 16 weeks atop the ATP Rankings during the year. Their lone previous ATP Head to Head meeting came at Wimbledon in 2021, when Medvedev cruised to a straight-sets win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
By turning the tables for a straight-sets win of his own on Sunday, Alcaraz became the first Indian Wells champion to claim the title without losing a set since Roger Federer in 2017, and the first to do so in at least six matches since Nadal in 2007.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With his final victory, he improves to 8-3 in tour-level finals, including 3-0 at ATP Masters 1000, and 14-9 overall against Top 10 opponents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Medvedev, who was at No. 12 in the ATP Rankings as recently as 12 February, will re-enter the Top 5 on Monday after he backed up consecutive titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai with his Indian Wells final run. The 27-year-old was playing in his 19th tour-level final at an unprecedented 19th different event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With his final victory, he improves to 8-3 in tour-level finals, including 3-0 at ATP Masters 1000, and 14-9 overall against Top 10 opponents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n