Carlos Alcaraz defeats Daniil Medvedev to defend his Indian Wells title, Iga Swiatek beats Maria Sakkari for women's title

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—We have another rematch at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden: the men's final on Sunday will see Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev once again face off for the Baccarat Trophy after a rain-affected semifinal schedule.

Alcaraz was first over the finish line when he roared back from a set down to snap Jannik Sinner's 19-match winning streak, while Medvedev pulled off a similar Houdini act to cool off a red-hot Tommy Paul on a chilly Saturday evening contest.

The defending champ leads Medvedev 3-2 in their head-to-head, but Medvedev won their most recent outdoor hard-court match and has enjoyed a near-perfect start to the 2024 season with a runner-up finish at the Australian Open. Still, the conditions at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden firmly suit the Spaniard, who will aim for a second straight title in the desert.

Who will win the 2024 BNP Paribas Open? David Kane and Stephanie Livaudais discuss the finalists in a Drop Shot Debate:

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Not one to sugarcoat, Medvedev has long maintained an adversarial relationship with the BNP Paribas Open's hard courts. But reaching the final last year signaled the start of a thaw that has only continued in 2024.

DK's Pick: Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev's contempt for the BNP Paribas Open's so-called hard court is well-documented, and yet it appears the former No. 1 has finally bent the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to his will with a second straight final—booking a 2023 rematch with Carlos Alcaraz.

The love-hate dynamic has nonetheless been on display at numerous points in the last 10 days, first on the supposedly "slower" Stadium 2 Court against Sebastian Korda, and again in the semifinals against an inspired Tommy Paul. Medvedev struggled to get anything going in the first set and nearly trashed a big lead in the second before weathering the conditions, 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

The question remains whether the 2021 US Open champion is able to go toe to toe with a player whose game is as built for this particular surface as Alcaraz, who made quick work of Medvedev in last year's final. In fact, Medvedev lost three of his four meetings to the reigning Wimbledon champion—his lone victory coming in a high-quality US Open semifinal in the summer.

But Alcaraz has rarely been the player who dominated large swaths of 2023 since winning his second major title at the All England Club, even if she showed flashes of that familiar brilliance against Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.

Medvedev, by contrast, has been on unmitigated upswing since last February, firmly cementing himself among the ATP's Top 4 with nine finals (and five titles) last year alone. The BNP Paribas Open is the only hard-court Masters 1000 title Medvedev is yet to win, and this year is undeniably his best chance yet to complete the set.

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Defending champion Alcaraz is seeking his first title since last year's Wimbledon victory.

Steph's Pick: Carlos Alcaraz

It was always going to take a special performance to defeat Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells, and that’s exactly what Alcaraz showed when he rallied from a set down against the Italian in the semifinals. Everything from their clash in styles to the tricky, ever-changing conditions—there was a three-hour rain delay during the first set—forced Alcaraz to think on his toes, adjust his game plan and refocus. The result was a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, and a spot in the Indian Wells final for the second straight year.

It’s the type of display that tennis fans have been wanting to see from Alcaraz, who has been struggling to get into high gear in 2024. The 20-year-old arrived at Indian Wells under a cloud of doubts: Putting aside the fact that he’s yet to win a title since Wimbledon last year, he also rolled his ankle on the clay courts of Rio de Janeiro about two weeks before the Sunshine Swing began.

The defending champion has put those doubts to rest across two weeks in the desert. Other than a first-round battle against Italian Matteo Arnaldi, 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-1; it’s been smooth sailing for the Spaniard against No. 31 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, Fabian Marozsan and No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev—defeating them all without dropping a set.

If a rainstorm in the desert or even a “bee invasion” can’t rattle his focus, and if not even “the best player in the world right now” can close him out, then it’s hard to bet against an Alcaraz that has already achieved his biggest goal in Indian Wells: returning to his free-spirited and confident self on court.

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