Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, world number one, suffered his first defeat of 2026 on Saturday, eliminated in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 in the United States by Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz arrived in California with 16 consecutive wins and titles at the Australian Open and in Doha, but was stopped by the world number 10, losing 6-3 and 7-6 (7/3) in one hour and 37 minutes. As happened last year when he was beaten in the semi-finals by Britain’s Jack Draper, the defeat prevents Alcaraz from defending his Indian Wells titles won in 2023 and 2024.
The match was marked by difficult conditions, with temperatures around 34 degrees that affected the Spaniard’s physical performance. “I didn’t feel bad, but in these long rallies, especially against Daniil, you spend more energy — it’s harder when it’s hot,” Alcaraz admitted at the press conference. He also acknowledged his opponent’s level, against whom he had not lost since the 2023 US Open: “I feel like I have a target on my back. Daniil played incredibly, I’ve never seen him like this.”
Medvedev, who has already won this year in Brisbane and Dubai, was delighted with his return to top form. “I’m very happy to have beaten someone so strong. Right now I feel confident and, when that happens, I can be aggressive on serve. The plan was to put maximum pressure on him,” he said.
The Russian will face world number two Jannik Sinner in the final on Sunday, after the Italian eliminated Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-2 and 6-4 in the other semi-final.
