Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year.
The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper.
Photo: AFP
World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils.
Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam with his victory in the Australian Open and followed up with a title in Qatar.
He pushed his record so far this year to 16-0 with the win over Norrie, who beat him in the Paris Masters in November last year.
Photo: EPA
“I struggle a lot with his style,” Alcaraz said of heavy-hitting left-hander Norrie. “Every time I play against him it’s always really tough for me.”
“It’s a little bit confusing with his style, his topspin forehand, super high and then the backhand, really flat and really low,” he added.
Trailing 4-2 in the opening set Norrie broke Alcaraz at love for 4-3. Alcaraz regrouped with another break and pocketed the set in 31 minutes.
Photo: EPA
Norrie broke again for a 2-0 lead in the second, but Alcaraz won the next four games.
Norrie saved two match points on his serve before Alcaraz efficiently served out the win.
“I’m finding the right shot,” Alcaraz said. “I played well. I played solid. I played aggressive when I could.”
Photo: AFP
Medvedev, coming off a title run in Dubai last month, seized control early against Draper, who had pulled off a gritty win over Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.
“The first set was unreal, I couldn’t miss a ball,” Medvedev said. “It was an unbelievable level.”
“Second set he tried to give everything he had, and he had an opportunity,” Medvedev said, but the Russian saved the only break point he faced with an ace.
Medvedev then secured the lone break of the second to lead 6-5.
Draper was irked early in that 11th game when the chair umpire, queried by Medvedev, ruled the Briton had caused a hindrance with a raised arm gesture during a point.
Medvedev said he was distracted and the umpire told him it could go to video review and subsequently awarded the Russian the point.
In the women’s singles, Aryna Sabalenka held off Victoria Mboko, 7-6 (7/0), 6-4 to keep her in the running for her first title at Indian Wells.
In the semi-finals, Sabalenka faces 14th seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic, who won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 over unseeded Australian Talia Gibson.
Sabalenka has not lost a set in the tournament, but was pushed by the 10th-seeded Mboko, a 19-year-old Canadian who won the Canadian Open last year.
“That was a tough battle today,” Sabalenka said. “Happy with the level I played in those key moments in each set.”
Also advancing to the semi-finals for just the second time at Indian Wells was ninth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who knocked out second-seeded Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
She faces Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals, who beat American Jessica Pegula, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
Additional reporting by AP
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