Carlos Alcaraz has the world number one at his fingertips and conquers the Indian Wells tournament, known as the fifth ‘Grand Slam’ and one of the most prized in the world. After midnight in Spain, the Murcian disarmed one of his contemporary rivals, Jannik Sinner (7-6 (4) and 6-3), to overcome his barrier in the semifinals in the California desert and play the first final of him here. He will be waiting for the invincible man of 19 consecutive victories, Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz, at 19, aspires to become the fourth Spaniard in the men’s category to win at Indian Wells, after José Higueras (1983), Alex Corretja (2000) and Rafael Nadal, who has achieved it three times (2007, 2009). and 2013).
And he is in that position because he knew how to recover from all the adversities that Sinner pushed him into, a man who beat him twice, including a painful Wimbledon 2022, but who still has the open wound from the last United States Open, when the Spaniard raised a match ball for him.
This time the situation was not so critical, but the man from San Cándido touched the first set with his fingers and left blank. He came back from 4-2 down to 4-5 in which he was 15-30 with two points left. But the worst came later, when at 5-6 Alcaraz deactivated a set point for the Italian by shooting a drop shot and volley. Risk, yes, but reward too.
There were a few minutes of panic for Alcaraz, who lost control of his right and let Sinner dictate. Until a nervous and slippery ‘tie break’, in which the mind pulled more than the arm, equalized first and later decided the set and the match.
«Tell yourself: »I want to play«, Juan Carlos Ferrero yelled at him from the bench and Alcaraz kept Sinner’s attacks at bay until he was able to bite from the 4-4 tiebreaker. It wasn’t a brilliant tie break, but Alcaraz held on and on his first set point he went forward. Backhand crossed in movement and winner.
The number 1, closer
The numbers, 14 winners and 23 unforced errors, showed that there was a lot of room for improvement and Ferrero knew that, who urged his pupil to, at 1-0, squeeze the Italian, about to collapse.
“Put all the meat on the spit in this game to the rest,” said the “mosquito.” And there, in the longest game of the match, Alcaraz delivered his final blow. After saving two advantages of the transalpine for 1-1, he broke his serve and began to have fun.
For example, the shot with which he sealed the 3-0. One of the points of the tournament, with a quick bounce, a volley saved from point blank range, a hook from behind and a winning lob to the line. A potion of effects and capers that flattened Sinner, whose physical language was already pointing to defeat. One of the best rivalries of the moment is already swinging in favor of Alcaraz.
Alcaraz’s rival in the final will be Medvedev, who reached 19 consecutive victories after defeating Frances Tiafoe (7-6 and 7-6). The Russian, champion this season in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, will play his seventh Masters 1,000 final after a bizarre match against the American in which he needed eight match points to close the victory.
It will be the second duel between Medvedev and Alcaraz after the one they played in the second round of Wimbledon 2021 with a simple victory for the one from Moscow. If they beat Medvedev, next Monday Alcaraz will return to number one, beating Novak Djokovic.
