Carlos Alcaraz has already gone one step farther at the BNP Paribas Open than he did last year, and the ranking-points boost gives him a chance to regain the world No. 1 spot.
Alcaraz, who lost a tough semifinal to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2022, defeated Jannik Sinner 7-6(4), 6-3 on Saturday evening. The 19-year-old needed one hour and 52 minutes to set up a blockbuster battle with an on-fire Daniil Medvedev in the championship match.
“I feel great,” Alcaraz said during his post-match press conference. “This is a tournament that I love playing. I have great memories–my first semifinal for a Masters 1000 here (last year) against [Rafael Nadal]. It was really special for me. Coming back this year and making final is really special moment for me.”
It could get a lot more special. If Alcaraz triumphs on Sunday he will surpass Novak Djokovic atop the ATP rankings.
If Medvedev prevails, Alcaraz will remain No. 2 and the Russian will extend his winning streaks to 20 matches and four titles in a row.
“He’s a wall,” the top seed said of Medvedev. “He returns every ball — impossible shots. I talked with my team that the returns are almost in the corner of the court and (he is) still winning the points. He’s an amazing runner; he’s an amazing player. I probably (have to) hit my best shots to hit winners against him.”
Carlos too good
After 20 years of self-fulfilling prophecy, we will say “it was him”. Has to be Alcaraz in 3.
Based on what I have observed in the Alcaraz Sinner match, it appears that Sinner did not play well, which provided an opportunity for Alcaraz to gain confidence and seize the opportunities presented to him. Alcaraz seemed to sense that Sinner was doubting himself.
Alcaraz probably won’t get nearly as many opportunities against Medvedev as he did against Sinner.