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.”
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