Indian Wells, March 13 (IANS) World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz reached his fifth consecutive Indian Wells semi-final on Friday, advancing with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Cameron Norrie.
With a win, the Spanird earned revenge on the Briton, who beat him last November in Paris. Moreover, extended his winning streak to 16 matches in 2026.
With his win, Alcaraz became the third man to reach five consecutive Indian Wells semi-finals, alongside countryman Rafael Nadal (2006-13) and rival Novak Djokovic (2011-16).
Alcaraz and Norrie traded momentum shifts throughout the clash, but the Spaniard largely maintained the upper hand. The first set ended with three breaks of serve across the final four games. Norrie then raced to a 2-0 lead in the second set before Alcaraz responded by tallying four consecutive games, ATP reports.
Producing a mix of baseline hitting with delicate drop shots and superb net play, the World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings converted his fourth match point to advance after one hour and 33 minutes.
“Every time I play against him it’s always really tough for me. It’s a little bit confusing with his style, his heavy topspin forehand, super high. And then the backhand, really flat and really low. Sometimes it’s tricky to play against him. I’m finding the right shot. I played well. I played solid. I played aggressive when I could. I’m happy to play this level,” said Alcaraz.
Alcaraz won the Indian Wells title in 2023 and 2024, defeating Medvedev in both finals.
Medvedev cruised past defending champion Jack Draper 6-1, 7-5, where the 11th seed is into the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year.
In pursuit of his first Indian Wells trophy, Medvedev is on an eight-match winning streak, having arrived in California following a title run in Dubai.
Should Medvedev advance to the championship match, he will return to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since July.
Medvedev leads the ATP Tour this season with 17 wins. He is the fourth man to reach the Indian Wells semi-finals in four consecutive years, alongside Rafael Nadal (2006-13), Djokovic (2011-16) and Alcaraz (2022-25).
–IANS
bc/
