Sinner tops Medvedev to win first Indian Wells title

INDIAN WELLS, United States, March 16 ------ World No. 2 Jannik Sinner surged home to beat Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) to capture his first Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 crown.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner won his first title of 2026, rallying from 0-4 down in the second-set tiebreaker to seal the win against a resurgent Medvedev, winner of the title in Dubai last month who was riding a nine-match ATP winning streak. That included an upset semifinal triumph over Carlos Alcaraz that ended the top-ranked Spaniard's 16-match winning streak to start the season. But Sinner proved just that bit better in a match where both sets went to the tiebreakers without a break of serve.

Sinner didn't face a break point in the one-hour 55-minute contest as he won 43 of his 47 first-serve points. Medvedev saved the only two break points he faced in the seventh game of the opening set, but Sinner's tiebreaker prowess proved too much. Medvedev was up 5-4 in the first-set tiebreaker when he let a ball sail by him and it landed in. He'd go on to save one set point, but Sinner gave himself another with a blistering forehand that the Russian couldn't handle and pocketed the set with a service winner.

The former World No. 1 looked on track to level the match when he raced to a 4-0 lead in the second-set decider only for Sinner to roar home. The victory gives Sinner a complete set of all six hardcourt ATP Masters 1000 titles. While Medvedev missed his chance to become just the second player to beat both Alcaraz and Sinner in the same tournament, he underscored his return to form after a disappointing 2025 campaign and will return to the top 10 on Monday.

Source: philstar.com