The first part of the American hardcourt swing is in the books. Two Champions were crowned at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden—one from the ATP and one from the WTA.
Both finals were rematches from previous tournaments. On the men’s side, it was a rematch of 2023, when Carlos Alcaraz took on Daniil Medvedev. Meanwhile, on the women’s side, it was a rematch in 2022, with Iga Swiatek taking on Maria Sakkari. Alcaraz was looking to defend his title, while Swiatek was looking to regain the title that propelled her up the rankings.
In 2023, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev, and in 2022, Iga Swiatek defeated Maria Sakkari. Both matches were in straight sets. The years might have been different but the results were the same. The oddsmakers were right, except the men’s match was slightly more competitive than the women’s. But both final sets were blowouts.
Carlos Alcaraz Defends His Crown
Carlos Alcaraz will see a familiar face in the Final, as with the semifinal match. And once again, the world number two figured out how to navigate a match. Instead of being ultra-aggressive, he played a typical Spanish game that was more methodical. This was a tournament of defending a title and ranking points. If Alcaraz had lost in any round before the final, Jannik Sinner would have passed him the rankings. However, after beating Sinner in the semifinals, Alcaraz saw a familiar foe in Medvedev.
Things did not start well for the defending champion. Medvedev moved his return position up, throwing Alcaraz for a loop. Before you knew it was 3-0 in the first set for Medvedev. However, Alcaraz found his game and adjusted to force a first-set tiebreak. There was unbelievable shot-making throughout the set. However, once the Spaniard grabbed the opening set 7-6 in the tiebreak, he rolled, breaking Medvedev twice and serving out to win 7-6 6-1 to defend the Indian Wells title. Alcaraz had only defended titles on clay. This was his first defence on a hard court. Now, he looks to recapture the title in Miami.
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This tournament allowed Alcaraz to find his game and gain confidence heading into Miami. He had been struggling to find his game, but the adjustments under Juan Carlos Ferraro are showing. He is a threat to win any title now. Medvedev came up one win short of capturing the only hardcourt title on the Masters 1000 level that has eluded him.
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Iga Swiatek Regains the Indian Wells Title
The world number one on the women’s tour again showed why she can take over any tournament. Iga Swiatek did not drop a set in capturing her second Indian Wells title. As with Alcaraz, she defeated a familiar opponent, Maria Sakkari. Swiatek also won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0. It was a truly remarkable performance from the Polish superstar. The world number one just lost 21 games in six matches in the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.
However, the first set was not easy. Swiatek raced out to a 3-0 lead. However, Sakkari was able to level the match at 4-4 in the opening set. But from then on, Swiatek lost 2 points on serve, culminating with a forehand winner in the corner. Swiatek breaks Sakkari’s three times in the second set, all at love. What a performance by the world number one with a record of 20-2 on the season.
The tours shift to Miami for the second half of the Sunshine Double. What an incredible 2024 Paribas Open with Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek holding the crowns high above their heads.