DANIIL Medvedev handed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year, defeating the Spaniard 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Saturday (Sunday, March 15, 2026, PH time) to advance to the final of the BNP Paribas Open.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the 11th-seeded Medvedev of Russia will face second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy, who defeated Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
Alcaraz entered the match riding a 16-match winning streak in 2026, highlighted by titles at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. But Medvedev ended the prospect of a highly anticipated Alcaraz-Sinner final.
The AP report said Medvedev had lost his previous four meetings against Alcaraz, including the 2024 Indian Wells final. Saturday’s win marked his first victory over the Spaniard since the 2023 U.S. Open semifinals.
Sinner, meanwhile, dispatched fourth-seeded Zverev in just 1 hour and 23 minutes, firing six aces in a dominant performance.
Zverev opened strongly, winning his first eight points on serve, but Sinner broke him in the fifth and seventh games to secure the opening set. The Italian now leads their head-to-head series 7-4.
Neither Medvedev nor Sinner has dropped a set in the tournament so far. Sinner also carries momentum into the final, having won his last three matches against Medvedev, including their meeting in the 2024 U.S. Open quarterfinals.
In other games at Indian Wells, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova defeated Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4 to claim the women’s doubles title. It marked Townsend’s first Indian Wells title and Siniakova’s second, following her 2023 victory alongside longtime partner Barbora Krejcikova.
In the men’s doubles final, Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard beat Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Meanwhile, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli captured the mixed doubles crown, defeating top-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Lloyd Glasspool 6-3, 2-6, 10-7. / LBG