Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from regaining his world No. 1 ranking after beating Jannik Sinner to secure a place in the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The 19-year-old Spaniard defeated Sinner 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in a thrilling semi-final and will now face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who triumphed 7-5 7-6 (7-4) against Frances Tiafoe.
In a replay of their epic US Open quarter-final clash last year, Alcaraz earned an early break to take a 4-2 lead before their Italian opponent won three games in a row.
However, Sinner squandered a set point opportunity and Alcaraz took him to a tie-break which he won, signaling a change in momentum as the teenager cruised to victory within two hours.
If he beats Medvedev in Sunday’s final, Alcaraz will reclaim top spot in the standings – having initially risen to the top following his US Open success six months ago.
World No. 6 Medvedev finally beat Tiafoe in a grueling encounter to record his 19th straight win and reach the Indian Wells final for the first time.
Tiafoe – who beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the previous round – managed to save seven match points before finally succumbing to defeat.
Meanwhile, Britain Neal Skupski, partnered with Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands, narrowly missed victory in the doubles final losing 6-3 2-6 10-8 to Rohan Bopanna and Matt Ebden.
