Carlos Alcaraz is back. And he is back in the BNP Paribas Open final.
Alcaraz never really left, but he had been in a relative cold spell by his lofty standards since winning the Wimbledon title last summer. The Spaniard has not won a tournament since his triumph at the All-England Club and prior to this fortnight he had not reached a final since the 2023 Cincinnati Masters.
On Saturday in Indian Wells, however, Alcaraz once again showcased his peak level and used it to beat the hottest player on tour: Jannik Sinner. The 20-year-old took down Sinner and ended the Italian’s 19-match winning streak with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 semifinal victory. Alcaraz, who is the defending champion in Tennis Paradise, earned another spot in the title match after two hours and five minutes of play.
“I stayed strong mentally,” the world No. 2 said of recovering from such a slow start. “I think that was the really important part. You have to be strong mentally if you want to overcome these matches from a set down against someone who is playing an unbelievable game. I’m really happy with the things that I have done.
“I changed my style a little bit. I think it worked very, very well. I’m really happy to beat Jannik and obviously to be in another final again.”
Sinner had been 16-0 this year. He was also 29-1 in his last 30 matches–a red-hot stretch of tennis that featured the Davis Cup title, the Australian Open title, and the Rotterdam title.
Alcaraz awaits either Daniil Medvedev or Tommy Paul in Sunday’s final.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
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