Carlos Alcaraz made more history at the BNP Paribas Open, where he became the ninth and youngest man to win both legs of the Sunshine Double. The 19-year-old was faultless throughout his run in Indian Wells, not dropping a set en route to his third ATP Masters 1000 crown.
The Spaniard, who defeated seeds Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, returned to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following his title triumph in the Californian desert.
“It feels amazing to lift the trophy here, to recover the No. 1 [ranking]. I would say this has been the perfect tournament,” reflected Alcaraz, who reached the 100 match wins milestone earlier in the week. “It was good for me, [at] this tournament that I really wanted to win, and for me, it’s amazing.”
Alcaraz joins countryman Rafael Nadal as the only players to win at least three Masters 1000 titles as a teenager, with Nadal having won six before turning 20. Holding a 14-1 record on the season, Alcaraz will turn his attention to the Miami Open presented by Itaú, where he will aim to maintain his red-hot form. To remain No. 1, Alcaraz must successfully defend his Miami title. Top 5 stars Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev also make the journey from California to south Florida as they try to stop Alcaraz from becoming the eighth player to complete the calendar-year Sunshine Double. Ruud lost to the Spaniard in last year’s Miami final, while Medvedev will be aiming to start a new winning streak after Alcaraz ended his 19-match unbeaten run in the Indian Wells title match.
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