Jannik Sinner already had most of the major titles on his resume, but the Indian Wells crown was still missing. The Italian finally checked that box on Sunday, March 15, at Tennis Paradise, defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in straight sets.
The world No. 2 showcased his excellence on hard-courts finishing the match with 28 winners, 10 aces, and a perfect eight out of eight points won at the net, overcoming the Russian who is still searching for his first title at Indian Wells.
With the victory, Sinner also entered an elite club in tennis history. He became only the third player to win all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles, joining legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Furthermore, with his first title of the year, he became the first player since 1990 to win consecutive Masters 1000 titles without dropping a set and extended his winning streak in this category to 11 matches, dating back to his Paris title last November.
In a fast-paced opening set, Medvedev attacked from the outset, putting significant pressure on Sinner. The back-and-forth exchange pushed the 30-year-old to 6-5, only for the Italian to force a tiebreak.
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With little to separate them, Sinner proved to be the more clinical player in the tiebreak. The 24-year-old seized the advantage when Medvedev mishandled a forehand volley at 5-4, and then closed out the set on his second set point.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with the four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner working hard to take the lead, even leaving Medvedev to love in the fifth game to get a 3-2 advantage. However, the Russian didn’t give up, levelling after the Italian got a 6-5 advantage to force another tiebreak.
In a bid to reach a decisive third set, Medvedev raced to a commanding 4-0 lead, but Sinner reeled him in, catching him at 4-4 before closing out 7-4 to seal the match.
“I kept believing and kept pushing,” Sinner said after the match. “I went for my shots a little more. A third set, we would have started even, so I tried my best to close it out and I am very happy. It was an incredible ending.”
“It was a very, very tough match,” Sinner said. “It is great to see Daniil back playing this level. I am very happy. I came here from day one, training really hard and this result makes me very happy,” he added.
Medvedev reached the final in superb form, having stunned the world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, in the semi-finals — ending the Australian Open champion’s perfect 16-match winning streak at the start of the season. However, he has now lost three Indian Wells finals.
(With inputs from Reuters)
