INDIAN WELLS, March 12 — Carlos Alcaraz continued his flawless 2026 season by reaching the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive year, defeating Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) yesterday.
INDIAN WELLS, March 12 — Carlos Alcaraz continued his flawless 2026 season by reaching the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive year, defeating Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) yesterday.
World No. 1 Alcaraz, who won the ATP Masters 1000 title in California in both 2023 and 2024, dominated the first set with precise winners to every corner of the court. Spectacular lobs in the third game and a high backhand volley to go 4-0 left fans in awe and Ruud struggling to respond.
“My first set, I think I was unplayable, honestly,” Alcaraz said. “I was really, really happy with the level I played at.”
Ruud improved in the second set, but Alcaraz pulled away in the tiebreak, taking a 5-1 lead with another leaping backhand volley and sealing the match with a backhand winner.
“The conditions were tricky,” Alcaraz added, noting the hot weather and fast, high-bouncing ball, after earlier battling a chilly-night three-set win over Arthur Rinderknech in the third round.
At 22, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, and he has started 2026 undefeated with 15 wins, including the Australian Open and Qatar Open titles.
Alcaraz will face 29th-ranked Briton Cameron Norrie for a semi-final spot, after Norrie defeated Australian qualifier Rinki Hijikata 6-4, 6-2. Norrie, who won Indian Wells in 2021, broke early in the first set and then sealed the match with two breaks in the second.
Also in action, five-time champion Novak Djokovic is aiming for his first Indian Wells quarter-final since winning the tournament in 2016. Djokovic, returning after losing to Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, overcame two three-set matches to reach the fourth round.
He faces defending champion Jack Draper, who won Indian Wells last year but has been hampered by an arm injury, arriving this year ranked 14th. The winner will take on 11th-ranked Russian Daniil Medvedev, a two-time Indian Wells finalist, who defeated 21-year-old American Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4. — AFP
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