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.

Cameron Norrie got back at Carlos Alcaraz in Rio a week after losing the title match to him in Buenos Aires. In two hours and forty-one minutes, Cameron Norrie defeated Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to win his fifth ATP title and the first at the ATP 500 level.

Carlos Alcaraz had a 7-5, 3-0 lead but was unable to seal the victory and win the eighth ATP title.

“Alcaraz was not at his best in the early going, but when he crushed a backhand return winner to capture the opening set, momentum was fully on his side. Norrie showed frustration as he relinquished an immediate service break in the second set and the match appeared to be slipping away. But he never stopped battling to earn his ATP Tour-leading 18th win of the season (18-3). No other player has more than Daniil Medvedev’s 14 victories.”

“So special to win this one, especially I’d lost a couple finals already this year and I had to do it the tough way,” Norrie said. “A set and a break down and 0/30 on my serve, I was looking done there and I managed to flick a switch and turn it around, so it was a good day.”

“Especially on a surface that I’m not too comfortable with,” Norrie said. “I had to battle a lot of demons the last couple weeks, but I managed to just play well in the big moments and that’s what it took today.”

Tennis fans reactions

“Brilliant from Cameron Norrie!
Never gives up!” one fan added.

“What a result. A prime example of never give up no matter the score, you never know what might happen and Alcaraz’ started to tire.” another fan added.

“Outstanding victory for Cam Norrie against a top player like Alcaraz, and to do it on clay makes it even more impressive! With a bit more work, Norrie will surely become a top 5 player 👏🏼” another fan added.

“Frustrating for Alcaraz he could have easily wol this hope he will be back healthy in IW” another fan added.

“Brilliant match. Cam still had to play at his best, Alcaraz was letting rip whenever he could and the drop shots were ridiculous. He kept his composure brilliantly though, especially serving it out at the end. Fantastic win!” another fan added.

“Excellent tennis! Happy to see Norrie win it” another fan added.

“Despite the injury to Carlitos, Cameron did well to fend off the drop shot onslaught. Not easy on clay.” another fan added.

“Happy he won ! Carlos was injured … still he had some good points!” another fan added.