Alcaraz suffers his first loss of the year, misses chance to face Sinner in Indian Wells Masters final

Daniil Medvedev ends Carlos Alcaraz's flawless 2026 start to advance to the Indian Wells final. He will next face Jannik Sinner

Alcaraz's winning streak snapped, Medvedev to compete for title against Sinner

In Saturday's BNP Paribas Open semifinal, Daniil Medvedev surprised by defeating the Spanish player with a score of 6-3, 7-6(3). This victory ended Alcaraz's 16-match winning streak since the start of the year and marked the 22-year-old's first defeat of the season at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Medvedev dominated the match with aggressive play and the form that once propelled him to the world No. 1 ranking. In the second set, the Russian player faced two set points but remained composed. He escaped danger with precise serves and forced Alcaraz into errors at critical moments.

Composure under pressure proved decisive, allowing Medvedev to close out the match in two sets, successfully avenging his losses to Alcaraz – who had defeated him in the Indian Wells Masters finals in 2023 and 2024.

With this win, Medvedev reaches his first Masters 1000 final since the 2024 Indian Wells final. The former world No. 1 will face Jannik Sinner in the championship match on Sunday. In their head-to-head record, the Italian player currently leads Medvedev 8-7.