Daniil Medvedev defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semifinals
Earlier this week in Indian Wells, a Brazilian reporter informed Daniil Medvedev that some in Brazilian tennis circles refer to him as “Malvadao,” which in Portuguese means “villain” or “the bad guy.”
Medvedev instantly accepted it, saying, “I suppose on the court I am. In real life, I am not like this guy. I suppose on the court, I may be an anti-hero several times.”
Medvedev followed it up on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 7-6(3) in front of a startled and possibly unhappy crowd of just shy of 16,000 on Stadium Court.
The victory spoiled a possible matchup between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the world’s top two players who had shared the last nine Grand Slam titles. Many expected the next incarnation of the rivalry to take place in the Indian Wells final.
But Medvedev, the 11th seed in the draw, had a nearly flawless first set. He took an early lead and held service throughout the match, despite many highlight reel forehand strokes by Alcaraz.
Medvedev, who is 6-foot-6 and is the tallest player to ever be ranked No. 1 in the world, had pundits in awe from start to finish.
“This is unbelievable,” retired Grand Slam champion Jim Courier stated during a Tennis Channel broadcast.
Alcaraz took a break in the fourth game of the second set, with the crowd overwhelmingly behind him. But Medvedev responded by keeping many rallies going with his bulk, length, and surprising quickness for someone so gangly.
Medvedev then survived a break chance and held on to tie the match 4-4. Alcaraz desperately chased every ball in the next game, knowing that the outcome was mainly dependent on it.
In the tenth game, with Alcaraz up 5-4, Medvedev saved a set point and then another. He then hit an ace and won a point by sprinting north-south to the net and holding service.
“How aggressively he played all the time, I think that surprised me a little bit,” Alcaraz explained. “I thought he was going to play aggressively from the start, but how he did it shocked me a lot, because he didn’t miss any or as many shots as I expected. He was playing aggressively, and he didn’t miss.”
In the tiebreaker, Alcaraz earned the first point before Medvedev scored the next six, with the Russian receiving points off both of Alcaraz’s first serves.
Throughout the game, Alcaraz fist-pumped after major plays. But Medvedev remained largely emotionless. Like a machine.
The Spanish tennis great had won the last four meetings between the two, as well as 18 of his previous 19 semifinal appearances. The solitary setback came against Jack Draper of Great Britain, who went on to win the Indian Wells title last year. Alcaraz praised Daniil.
“I believe he just played a tremendous match. I have to add that he was playing amazingly from the beginning to the end of the contest. To be honest, I’ve never seen Daniil perform like this. He fully deserves to advance and participate in this final.”
There were several celebrities in attendance for the match. Dua Lipa and her boyfriend, Callum Turner, sat together in a luxury box. Oscar winner Charlize Theron and retired Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi were among those watching from a box.
While some may have been startled by Medvedev’s victory, it was not very stunning. Medvedev won a title in Dubai before arriving in Indian Wells, and he also won one in Brisbane in January.
Nonetheless, it was Alcaraz’s first loss of the year, following 16 consecutive wins, including titles in Doha and the Australian Open.
Alcaraz was attempting to become only the sixth player to win three championships at Indian Wells, following Novak Djokovic (5), Roger Federer (5), Rafael Nadal (3), Michael Chang (3), and Jimmy Connors (3).
Medvedev will now face Sinner. Neither has won a title in Indian Wells. Medvedev reached the finals twice, in 2023 and 2024, but lost to Alcaraz both times.
Sinner leads the all-time series against Medvedev, 8-7. But Sinner has won seven of the last eight.