Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak was snapped by defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in a three-set battle. The Italian won the first set of the Indian Wells semi-final comprehensively by a 6-1 margin. However, the Spaniard came back to defeat the defending Australian Open champion in the next two sets comfortably (6-3, 6-2).
First Loss In 118 Days
This was the world No. 3’s first loss since losing to Novak Djokovic on November 19th, 2023 in the ATP Finals. Thus, this was Sinner’s first defeat in 118 days. Since that game, the Italian went on to win three Davis Cup matches to end the year on a high. He followed that up with 16 wins on the bounce this year, winning the Australian Open in the process, He also won the Rotterdam Open whilst also reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.
At 22 years and 211 days, Sinner had earlier become the youngest player in the Open Era to start a season with 16 consecutive ATP match wins. He broke the record of Novak Djokovic who had done so in 23 years and 299 days.
How Did The Match Unfold?
It did feel that the Italian would continue this streak against Alcaraz as well. He ended the first set inside 36 minutes. In fact, according to OptaAce, Sinner won his past 11 matches after taking the first set against ATP’s top five-ranked opponents on a hard court. The only loss that he suffered in such games was against Daniil Medvedev in the 2020 Marseille Round of 16 clash.
However, the defending champion of the competition had other plans in mind. He broke the fourth game of the second set to take a 3-1 lead. The 20-year-old then held that lead to win the set. He then broke the third game of the final set again and followed that up by winning the fifth game as well to go on and win the match.
Alcaraz Bags His 11th Win On The Bounce at Indian Wells
This was Alcaraz’s 11th win in a row at Indian Wells. He has also made it into the second straight finals of the competition after winning it last year. The Spaniard became the first player since 2013 to claim victory over an ATP top five-ranked opponent from a set down in the semi-finals of this competition. The last player to do so was Juan Martin del Potro who defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2013 edition.
Indeed with his win, Alcaraz has become only the third under-21 player to reach back-to-back men’s singles finals at Indian Wells since Boris Becker did so in the 1987-88 season and Novak Djokovic in 2007-08.
Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner In Three Set Thriller
Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannk Sinner’s 19-match unbeaten streak and 16-match season-opening streak following his win against the Italian in a three-set semi-final affair at Indian Wells. Alcaraz won the match with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 scoreline.