Sinner Masters Medvedev in the Desert to Claim his First Indian Wells Title

Daniil Medvedev tried to scale an Everest-sized mountain in the California desert, and the former World No.1 nearly got there. 

But his bid to become the first player to win a tournament that included Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the same draw since the spring of 2024 was foiled by a pitch-perfect Sinner, who weathered everything the Russian threw at him and emerged with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) victory to claim his first Indian Wells title. 

“It feels amazing,” Sinner said after his win. “Great achievement. Was a very tough match today, so I’m very happy how I handle the situation on the court.

“It’s great to see Daniil back playing this level.”

For Medvedev, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday’s semifinals, it was third-time unlucky in the Indian Wells final – he had previously lost to Alcaraz in the title round in 2023 and 2024. 

“Great tournament, great level, even including today,” he said. “Of course a bit disappointed to not have couple of moments where I could have played better. Jannik is a tremendous player, so tough to play against.

“So in general happy for the week, and looking forward for more tennis like this.”

It wasn’t for lack of effort. In a match that was played by the thinnest of margins, with 2001 champion Andre Agassi sitting courtside in Larry Ellison’s box, neither player could engineer a break point. 

Sinner had to do it the hard way, and he got over the line thanks to timely tennis and a late rally that finally put Medvedev on the canvas. 

Medvedev had a chance to take the first mini-break of the first-set tiebreak, but he let a Sinner passing shot go instead of volleying the ball. It dropped inside the line for a clean winner and Sinner soon pounced, taking the 60-minute set on his second point. 

In the second set breaker, Medvedev led 4-0 after Sinner made an unforced error and a double-fault in the first four points, but the Italian screamed back to win the next seven points and clinch the final in one hour and 55 minutes. 

Sinner has now won 22 consecutive sets at the Masters 1000 events, dating back to his run to the Paris title last year. He is the only player to win two consecutive Masters 1000 titles without dropping a single set. He also completed the six-pack of Masters 1000 hardcourt titles, having now triumphed at Indian Wells, Miami, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.