ESPN News Services2 minute read
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Daniil Medvedev defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 7-6(4) on Saturday for his 19th straight match win of the year and a berth in the BNP Paribas Open final.
Medvedev will play for the title on Sunday against No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz, who beat No. 11 seed Jannik Sinner 7-6(4), 6-3.
Alcaraz must win the title on Sunday to retake the world No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic. The Serbian, five-time champion at Indian Wells, withdrew before the start of the tournament after he was not allowed to enter the United States because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Medvedev, the fifth seed, continued his dominance over Tiafoe, winning all five encounters of his career, including 12 from 13 sets in the process.
“In general, I played at a very good level, but if I didn’t win this match, I would have nightmares for a long time with all the opportunities I had,” Medvedev said in a TV interview on the pitch. after the game. . “Like six or seven match points and twice (I was serving) for the game. But I’m happy to have won. Now I can sleep well tonight and prepare for tomorrow.”
Medvedev’s winning streak dates back to his title run in Rotterdam in February. He then won tournaments in Doha and Dubai. Now the 2021 US Open champion and former world No. 1 is in a position to add another title.
Medvedev showed resilience during the 12-day tournament in the Southern California desert. He overcame a badly twisted ankle and a severed thumb in two straight games to advance to the final.
Alcaraz has only played against Medvedev once, in the second round at Wimbledon in 2021. Medvedev won in three sets. Alcaraz said his biggest concern with the 6ft 6in Medvedev was his height.
“He’s really, really tall, you know,” said Alcaraz, who is 6ft tall. “What can I say? I think he just lost a game this year. He has a great winning streak and it will be a very tough challenge for me to play against him tomorrow. I will enjoy the final and let’s go see what happens.”
Last year, Alcaraz won the Miami Open and the US Open. Sunday, he can win the third of the three major American tournaments. After winning his first Grand Slam title in New York, 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest male number one in history. He ceded the No.1 ranking to Novak Djokovic in January.
Alcaraz won on Saturday thanks to his first serves (he made 72%, against 50% for Sinner), his creative play and his ability to move Sinner on the court and control the rhythm of his opponent’s game.
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova captured the women’s doubles title with a 6-1, 6-7(3), 10-7 win over Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and Laura Siegemund of Germany.
The Czech duo improved to 11-0 this year, having won the Australian Open championship in January. They split $436,730 in prize money.
Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN and The Associated Press contributed to this report.