Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Sunday to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 and reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.

“It means a lot to me. To recover the No. 1 [ranking] is crazy for me,” Alcaraz said. “But especially to lift the trophy here for me means a lot… I love this tournament. I really enjoy my time here and of course I felt the love from the people from day one. For me, it’s amazing to complete these 10 days like this.”

Alcaraz played in six matches and did not lose a set during the competition. His accomplishment in the California desert has given him extra confidence going into his Miami Open title defence.

“I’m playing great. Of course today, the conditions today were pretty tough. Of course Daniil didn’t play at his best, obviously,” said Alcaraz.

“All I can say is I’m really happy with my performance, the way that I was playing this tournament. I’m looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.”

“Medvedev saw his 19-match and three-tournament winning streak come to a close as Alcaraz expertly handled the windy desert conditions, the top seed’s patient but aggressive game plan reaping rewards with an immediate break in both sets. After racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, Alcaraz won the first 10 points of the second on the way to a 4-0 advantage.”

Tennis Twitter reactions

“This is very exciting to see a young player confirming media hype!! Carlos is miles ahead of all the young players!! Congratulations!” one person wrote.

“Alcaraz literally ate Medvedev up. Poor fighting spirit from Medvedev who looked like he’d accepted defeat from the get go. Congratulations to Alcaraz. Many more wins for this Champ 🏆” another person wrote.

“The real hard court king is Carlitos Alcaraz.” another person wrote.

“Carlos is from another planet at times, he’s so good 👏. His game and his personality will make him a fan favourite 4 years 2 come.” another person wrote.

“Love this young man! The moment I watched him play for the first time, I was hooked. I apprecitae his talent, dedication and humble attitude. Congratulations to you, Carlos, from one of your many fans.” another person wrote.

“It was such a boring game, didn look like finals. I enjoyed the women’s finals more. Congratulations to #Alcarez” another person wrote.

“He’s just phenomenal ! And such a good person, as well.” another person wrote.

“VAMOS CARLITOS! Next step is Miami for the sunshine double ☀️ 🎾 💥” another person wrote.

“Congratulations! Back to No. 1 💪💪💪 Now Sunshine Double 🏆🏆” another person wrote.

“A very classy performance from King Carlos 🤴🇪🇸. Nice to see him back . Peaking right in time for Roland Garros.” another person wrote.

At the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, Elena Rybakina won her first title of the year and the first WTA 1000 trophy of her career.

By defeating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at Indian Wells, Elena Rybakina exacted revenge for losing to her in the Australian Open final.

Rybakina, the Wimbledon winner, won the match 7-6 (13-11) 6-4 to earn her first WTA 1000 victory after a 78-minute opening set.

“Feels amazing,” Rybakina said in her post-match interview. “It’s been tough but really good two weeks for me here.”

“It was an incredible two weeks here,” Rybakina said. “It was an amazing atmosphere. I want to congratulate Aryna, as well, amazing results this week.”

Rybakina won the fourth WTA singles title of her career. Since winning her maiden Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon last summer, It is her first title.

For the first time in their budding rivalry, the match didn’t go three sets. Sabalenka went the distance to beat Rybakina in the Australian Open final in January. In that match, Sabalenka fired 17 aces and rallied from a set down to win her first Grand Slam title.

This time, the 10th-seeded Rybakina had seven aces and No. 2 seed Sabalenka committed 10 double faults. Sabalenka won just 11 of 35 second-serve points.

“I would say that I was super disappointed with my serve, so I was back to old habits,” she said. “I was like a little bit overreacting on things, and I wasn’t there in the first two games in the second set.”

Tennis Twitter reactions

“About time, your first win to Sabalenka, your first WTA 1000 Indian Wells. Congratulations 🍾🎊” one person wrote.

“Rybakina is on the rise, she’s playing well. She is also a super-introvert, she never smiles, she should probably be called ‘Robotkina’.” another person wrote.

“after sabalenka lost in dramatic fashion with 10 df first set i think the whole world knew she would lose second one too” another person wrote.

“Swiatek. Sabalenka. Rybakina. That’s the top 3 since Wimbledon and will be til’ they want it to be. I don’t care what fake rankings says” another person wrote.

“Brilliant. Playing better than everyone at the moment” another person wrote.

“Congratulations Rybakina, well deserved. She is going to win another slam this year 🤞🏾” another person wrote.

“Yess girl!! Beat #1 and #2 too. Best in the world” another person wrote.

“She is the real deal. She is here to take the number 1 spot!” another person wrote.

“Congratulations, great game where Rybakina was cool, confident and collected. 🎾🏆🎾” another person wrote.

“That first set was as good as I’ve seen in womens tennis. So close.” another person wrote.

“Impossible not to like and root for Rybakina. Beginning of the WTA Big 3 or 4 era?” another person wrote.

“Great final match between two great competitors – Glad to see Rybakina finally with a win!” another person wrote.

No.2 in the world Carlos Alcaraz, who is 19 years and 9 months old, has advanced to his tenth ATP final! After two hours and 42 minutes of battling, Carlos defeated Nicolas Jarry 6-7, 7-5, 6-0 in the Rio semi-final.

“I’m so proud of myself,” Alcaraz said “To be in a final again in my second tournament is a really special moment for me… I couldn’t ask for a better start of 2023.”

“It was a really tough first set, coming back from a break down,” Alcaraz said. “And then playing a tie-break that I didn’t really play well, it’s tough to come back.

“Then I came back from 0/40 in the first game [of the second set]. It was really tough. But [I kept] a positive attitude to stay there and [took] my chances… It’s all I can say. But honestly, I don’t know how I did it.”

Carlos Alcaraz dismissed any concerns about a potential new injury when asked if his leg condition will affect Sunday’s game.

“I don’t worry about that. It’s a tennis player’s life,” Carlos Alcaraz said. “Playing with some pain is normal for a tennis player. Even more if we are playing win by win, no break for almost 14 days in a row. It’s normal. I’m going to take care of that and go into the final 100 per cent.”

Tennis fans reactions

“The magic is back, @carlosalcaraz. Just one more step! 🙌🙌” one fan added.

“You are amazing. But my old heart can’t take a set lile that. Keep pushing. Only champions can fund a way like that. Vamos, let’s go.” another fan added.

“Great work! Positive attitude! Keep that racquet in your hands!” another fan added.

“Good luck tomorrow @carlosalcaraz Most exciting player to watch on the tour…..and a good dude!” another fan added.

“Incredible effort! Good luck for the final!” another fan added.

“Excellent match. Both of them are making each other better” another fan added.

“This guy is electric with he pass shots on the run. However, I don’t think Nicolas Jarry is going anywhere” another fan added.