Carlos Alcaraz’s perfect start to the 2026 season comes to a halt after his straight-sets defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday. Medvedev defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to book his spot in the final.

Carlos Alcaraz was maintaining a 16-0 victory streak with the pursuit of his third consecutive Indian Wells title. Medvedev’s performance stopped the Spaniard’s momentum from going into the finals.

How Daniil Medvedev ended Carlos Alcaraz’s unbeaten run

Medvedev came out after the win to say that he was happy to beat one of the hardest players on the tour. The former world number one admitted that it was difficult to deal with Alcaraz and that to leave the Spaniard it was necessary to play almost flawlessly.

Playing someone such as Carlos, you play many times, you lose many times. He’s an amazing player. You must be in your best, and I was. I am very glad I defeated someone so strong as him, Medvedev said.

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He also lauded the all-round game of Alcaraz, emphasising the skill of the Spaniard in all sections. He is a wonderful player with wonderful shots, defence, attack, serve, return, everything. So you must be at your best -and I was, said he.

The Spaniard had also nothing but massive respect for his opponent, and well, his style of play, stating that Medvedev produced one of his best performances. Speaking at the post-match press conference, he credited the Russian player for the relentless level he brought into the game.

There is nothing to do but give credit to Daniil. I believe he has simply played a great game. He was not playing real, and has not been playing real since the very beginning up to the very end. I have never witnessed Daniil play in this manner. He merits the victory today, and to be here in the final, all right, Alcaraz said.

The Spaniard even thought about the dilemmas of being the world number one; he noted that he is under constant pressure to have a target on his back. What I am a bit getting sick of is that they target all the time. No one wants to beat you, he confessed.

The aggressive play on the baseline and good serving led to Medvedev controlling the match. He seized the upper hand after being broken early in the opening set and won it 6-3. The latter was even more competitive, and Alcaraz even took a short-lived lead (3-1) before Medvedev counterattacked.

The contest was characterised by long rallies, and one fatiguing exchange in the set left Alcaraz looking tired. Despite the Spaniard having earned two set points, Medvedev remained calm to bring the match to a tiebreak, in which he pierced six points on the trot before finishing the match with an ace.

However, this win extended Medvedev’s winning streak to nine matches, along with a title triumph in Dubai. It is Medvedev’s third appearance in the Indian Wells final, after finishing as a runner-up in 2023 and 2024.

Medvedev will play the world number two, Jannik Sinner, in the final after being beaten by the Italian in the other semi-final, Alexander Zverev, 6- 2, 6-4. Sinner served eight aces and made only 13 errors of his own in a very dominant performance, and made seven out of his eight points at the net. The 24-year-old has not lost a match during the whole tournament and now will look forward to finishing off a fantastic performance with the title of Indian Wells.