Jannik Sinner’s winning streak is over. Fittingly, it was his biggest rival who ended it.
Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a slow start to defeat Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday afternoon. The 20-year-old advanced after two hours and five minutes–not including an almost three-hour rain delay–to set up a showdown for the title against either Daniil Medvedev or Tommy Paul.
It was a rough first set for Alcaraz, who got broken with a double-fault at 1-2 after returning from a three-hour rain delay. However, the Spaniard was quick to recover in the second. He broke for a 3-1 advantage and never looked back, becoming increasingly dominant in the third. In fact, Alcaraz lost a mere three service points in the entire third set.
“I stayed strong mentally,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said during his on-court interview. “I think that was the really important part. You have to be strong mentally if you want to overcome these matches from a set down against someone who is playing an unbelievable game. I’m really happy with the things that I have done.Â
“I changed my style a little bit. I think it worked very, very well. I’m really happy to beat Jannik and obviously to be in another final again.”
Sinner had been 16-0 this season and was on a 19-match winning streak overall dating back to the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. He was 29-1 in his last 30 matches–a stretch that included the Davis Cup title, the Australian Open title, and the Rotterdam title.
Alcaraz, who will remain No. 2 in the world as a result of this victory, has tied up the head-to-head series with Sinner 4-4 on the main tour.
nice one, Carlos
Am glad Carlos won, though it wrecks my bracket, at 4-4 their rivalry becomes very interesting.