Jannik Sinner added another landmark title to his career after defeating Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling Indian Wells final on Sunday. The Italian battled through two tight tie-breaks to secure victory and further consolidate his position among the front-runners on the hard court.
The second seed sealed the title with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) win over Medvedev at the BNP Paribas Open, becoming only the third man in history to win all six ATP Masters 1000 tournaments played on hard courts. After the win, Sinner said the title held special meaning because it was the only major hardcourt event missing from his collection.
Read the full article
“It was a tough tournament. I knew in my heart that it was the only hard court tournament in the majors that I didn’t win, so I’m really happy with how I did it.”
“Seeing Daniil play at this level is important for tennis. I feel that when he is playing at his best, it is very difficult to beat him, as we saw today, but I am very happy.”
Sinner was dominant throughout the tournament and did not lose a single set during the fortnight in California. The 24-year-old produced another consistent performance in the final, finishing with 28 winners and 10 aces, winning all eight points he played at the net.
The win also marked his first title of the season and helped him narrow his lead over World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings. Alcaraz won the Australian Open and the Doha title earlier in the year before his unbeaten run was halted by Medvedev in the semi-finals at Indian Wells.
Currently ranked second in the world, 2,200 points behind Alcaraz, Sinner now enters the upcoming Masters series with an opportunity to gain significant ground, especially after missing several such events last season.
SINNER JOINS FEDERER, DJOKOVIC IN ELITE LIST
Sinner’s Indian Wells triumph capped a rare streak of all six ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on hard court. The Italian has now lifted titles in Canada’s Miami, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris and Indian Wells.
The feat puts him alongside Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to complete a full set. His victory against Medvedev also made him the first Italian to reach 100 career wins at the Masters 1000 level.
In addition, Sinner became the first player since the Masters 1000 series began in 1990 to win back-to-back tournaments at this level without dropping a set, following his flawless title run in Paris last November.
HOW THE SINNER DEFEATED THE BEAR
The final was a very high quality match where neither player dropped a serve throughout the match. Medvedev started aggressively, winning the opening six match points and immediately putting pressure on Sinner’s service games.
However, the Russian could not turn the early pace into a break. Sinner, who took a brief medical timeout to get his right ankle taped at 3-4 in the opening set, stayed level as both players held serve to force a tie-break.
The Italian proved clinical in the break, capitalizing on a missed forehand volley from Medvedev at a crucial moment before sealing the set on his second set point.
The second set played out in a similar vein, with both players dominating their serves. Medvedev looked set to push the match to a deciding set when he raced to a 4-0 lead in the tie-break.
But Sinner produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament, scoring seven straight points after an hour and 55 minutes to seal victory. The win also improved his head-to-head record against Medvedev to 9-7, having now won nine of his last ten matches.
Despite the defeat, Medvedev’s strong showing in California will see the former US Open champion return to the Top 10 of the ATP rankings.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
March 16, 2026 07:56 IST
