Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner didn’t have an Indian Wells title, or a big win in 2026. Now they have both

Alcaraz and Indian Wells aren’t a good mix for Medvedev. They played two finals here, in 2022 and 2024, and the Russian went 0-4 in sets. The slow hard courts gave Alcaraz the time to tee off, and he happily took advantage of it.

But hope springs eternal in Medvedev, for a couple of reasons.

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I feel like it’s a good chance to try to show my best tennis against him. Daniil Medvedev

First, the conditions are more to his liking this year.

“I feel like the court is a bit faster since the two times I have played him,” Medvedev says. “The balls are different. So I feel like it’s a good chance to try to show my best tennis against him.”

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Second, he’s hungry again after a down season in 2025, and you can see it in his results. He already has two titles this season, and he’s won his last eight matches. This week, he has defused a couple of big hitters in Jack Draper and Alex Michelsen.

“I feel like I’m playing great, very good tennis,” Medvedev says. “I never want to jump into conclusions like best tennis of my life or whatever. I’m playing very good.”

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Alcaraz, it can probably go without saying by now, is also playing "very good." He has won all 16 matches he has played in 2026, and he has been up to a few challenges this week, from Arthur Rinderknech, Casper Ruud, and Cam Norrie.

Medvedev will be highly motivated to make this a better match than their other two at Indian Wells. At that I think he’ll succeed. Winner: Alcaraz

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