Match Report
Sinner wins Indian Wells, completes hard-court set
Italian joins Djokovic & Federer as solely males to win all six Masters 1000 hard-court trophies
March 15, 2026
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Jannik Sinner in motion in Indian Wells.
By Sam Jacot
Jannik Sinner grew to become simply the third man in historical past to finish the set of six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles on Sunday on the BNP Paribas Open, becoming a member of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The second-seeded Italian sealed the milestone with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) victory towards Daniil Medvedev within the Indian Wells remaining.
By not dropping a set in California, the 24-year-old additionally grew to become the primary man to win consecutive Masters 1000 titles with out shedding a set for the reason that sequence started in 1990, following his flawless run in Paris final November. In a dramatic finale in Sunday’s showdown, Sinner rallied from 0/4 within the second-set tie-break towards Medvedev, profitable seven consecutive factors to triumph. Following his win, the second seed pointed to his chest after which raised his arms aloft when embracing the Stadium 1 crowd.
The Italian’s good week in California, which earned him his first title of the yr, has additionally closed the hole to World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard Alcaraz triumphed on the Australian Open and in Doha this yr, however had his unbeaten begin to the season ended by Medvedev within the semi-finals in Indian Wells.
Currently No. 2 within the PIF ATP Rankings and a pair of,200 factors behind his nice rival Alcaraz, Sinner now has a golden alternative to shut the hole. He didn’t compete at Masters 1000 occasions in Miami, Monte-Carlo, or Madrid final season, with all three occasions developing throughout the subsequent seven weeks.
Sinner has claimed titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris, and his victory towards Medvedev made him the primary Italian man to achieve 100 Masters 1000 wins. Combined along with his triumphs on the Australian Open, US Open, and Nitto ATP Finals, he has now accomplished the complete set of hard-court ‘Big Titles’.
In a high-paced opening set, Medvedev picked up proper the place he left off towards Alcaraz, swinging freely and placing Sinner underneath early stress. The 30-year-old received the primary six factors of the match however couldn’t convert that momentum into an early break of serve after which needed to fend off stress from the Italian at 3-3 and 4-4 on his personal serve.
Sinner, who took a medical timeout at 3–4 to have his proper ankle re-taped, was unable to capitalise on two break-point alternatives throughout the set and was continuously pushed backward and forward by Medvedev’s clear, aggressive hitting. With little to separate them, Sinner was the extra medical participant within the tie-break. The 24-year-old seized the benefit when Medvedev left a forehand volley at 5/4 after which closed out the set on his second set level, having squandered his first at 6/5 when he hit a forehand within the web.
The second set went with serve via to a different tie-break. Sinner then rallied from 0/4, surviving an preliminary attacking bombardment from Medvedev to claw his manner again and earn victory after one hour and 55 minutes.
Sinner leads Medvedev 9-7 within the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Headvert sequence, having received 9 of their previous 10 conferences. The World No. 2 is 13-2 on the season, based on the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with this his first title since his Nitto ATP Finals triumph in Turin in November.
Despite defeat, Medvedev will return to the Top 10 within the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday. The 30-year-old leads the Tour with wins (18) in 2026, having lifted trophies in Brisbane and Dubai. He leaves California second within the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
Did You Know?
The final participant to beat Alcaraz and Sinner in the identical match was Novak Djokovic on the Nitto ATP Finals in 2023. Medvedev was aiming to attain that feat on Sunday.
