Carlos Alcaraz has brought an end to Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak, with the Spaniard reaching a second successive final at Indian Wells.
Alcaraz became the first man to beat the Australian Open champion this year, fighting back to win 1-6 6-3 6-2 in a rain delayed semi-final in California.
The 20-year-old said after the fight that he thought was the secret to winning was that “I stayed strong mentally.” That seems like a fairly crucial component of this game. If you want to win these kinds of matches—where you’re up against someone who is playing an incredible game—you have to be psychologically tough.
“I changed my game and my style a little bit, and I think it worked really well,” he concluded. Being back in the final and defeating Jannik makes me very delighted.
“Compared to the previous set, I had to run more and defend better. I continued to play strong and kept more balls in the court. Although we had many extended rallies, I stopped missing the second, third, and fourth balls.
When the ATP rankings are updated tomorrow, Alcaraz, who defeated Sinner in the Indian Wells semifinal for the second year in a row, will still be ranked second in the world.
vicious conflict with @janniksin!???? Extremely pleased to defeat an opponent in outstanding form!???? The final is all that remains!??????? @BNPPARIBASOPEN
???? Getty image via Twitter: w4oHsBH6d6
— March 17, 2024, Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz)
Sinner hasn’t been used to losing lately; his most recent setback occurred to Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals final in November.
After the game, Sinner evaluated his play and said, “At certain points, I was too predictable.” I felt let down since I was performing the same things repeatedly. I had a great first set of playing. I then tried to remain stationary rather than try to move around when I noticed my opponent was having some difficulty.
At times, I was too predictable. That, I believe, is the lesson for today. We’ll focus on specific issues, and ideally I’ll improve.
“I missed a lot of forehands where normally I try to be aggressive,” the world No. 3 continued. The errors were mine. All we need to do is understand why. Still, I thought it was a fantastic match. We both played pretty well, in my opinion. A few of the rallies were entertaining.
Sinner, a two-time runner-up in the Miami Open, does seem optimistic despite the fact that his winning run is now over.
Sinner remarked, “I’ve been positive throughout this winning streak.” Even though I lost in the Indian Wells semifinals, this is still an excellent outcome.
“Miami is the next tournament. I’m already concentrating on Miami. It’s unfortunate that it must come to an end here in Indian Wells, as this is a really unique place for me to play, but I’m appreciative of what I’m doing.
For the time being, Alcaraz’s attention will be solely on Indian Wells, where he hopes to make history by being the first player to defend the singles championship since Djokovic in 2016.
20, 316 – Since the Indian Wells Open’s inception in 1974, Carlos Alcaraz has won 11 straight men’s singles matches. At 20 years 316d, he is the youngest player to accomplish this feat. intergenerational.@BNPPARIBASOPEN @carlosalcaraz @atptour #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/6JFoVaERvI
— March 17, 2024, OptaAce (@OptaAce)
Later today, the Wimbledon winner will play Daniil Medvedev in a replay of last year’s championship match.
