Jannik Sinner had no trouble in the final of the ATP Masters in Indian Wells.
Tennis star Jannik Sinner has won the prestigious ATP Masters in Indian Wells for the first time. In the California desert, with temperatures around 35 degrees, the South Tyrolean defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4) to claim his 25th career title.
In the semifinals, Sinner had easily defeated Germany’s number one, Alexander Zverev, in two sets. Medvedev missed out on his 24th title on the ATP Tour after his impressive semifinal victory over world number one Carlos Alcaraz (Spain).
“I’m overjoyed. Today is a very special day for Italy,” said Sinner, also referring to Formula 1 newcomer Kimi Antonelli’s first career victory on Sunday in China: “I’m a huge F1 fan. And the fact that Kimi is bringing Italy back to the top there is wonderful.”
For Sinner, it was his 100th win at one of the nine Masters tournaments and his first title this year. At the Australian Open in January, he lost in the semifinals to Grand Slam record champion Novak Djokovic; in Doha, he was most recently eliminated in the quarterfinals. The South Tyrolean narrowed the gap in the world rankings to his longtime rival Alcaraz.
In a tight, evenly matched game, both opponents allowed little to nothing on their own serve. Neither Sinner nor Medvedev managed a break in 1 hour and 58 minutes of play. In the first-set tiebreak, a single mini-break decided the set in Sinner’s favor. In the second set, Medvedev led 4-0 in the tiebreak, but then Sinner scored seven points in a row.
Medvedev could at least take comfort in returning to the top 10 of the world rankings, from which he had slipped in June 2025. Medvedev had traveled to Indian Wells under difficult circumstances and with delays lasting several days. Due to the war in the Middle East, the 30-year-old was stranded in Dubai and eventually made his way to California via Oman and Istanbul.
