Perfect Run to Reclaim the Top

Jannik Sinner (24, Italy) defeated Daniil Medvedev (Russia) 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in the BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells on March 19 (KST). The world No. 2 claimed his 25th career ATP title with flawless performance, not dropping a single set throughout the tournament.

With this victory, Sinner became the third player in history to win all six hardcourt Masters 1000 events (Miami, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris, Indian Wells), following Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Achieving this milestone at age 24, Sinner is now the youngest player ever to complete the hardcourt Masters sweep.

Tactical Mastery Decided the Match

The final went to tiebreaks in both sets, yet remarkably, not a single break point occurred throughout the entire match. The showdown between two players with dominant serve games came down to moments of intense concentration in a battle of razor-thin margins.

Medvedev reached the final after ending world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz's 16-match winning streak in the semifinals, but could not overcome Sinner's wall. After consecutive losses to Djokovic and Jakub Mensik earlier this season, Sinner announced his complete return to form with this championship.

ATP Race No. 2, Chasing Alcaraz

Sinner moved up to second place in the 2025 ATP Race rankings with this victory, closing in on first-place Alcaraz. After losing momentum with consecutive defeats to Alcaraz at the Australian Open and Doha earlier this year, Sinner has once again stamped his presence at Indian Wells.

Tour experts view the current landscape as a two-man race between Sinner and Alcaraz, with Medvedev evaluated as the only 'third man' candidate capable of challenging them. Medvedev's performance in defeating Alcaraz at this tournament reaffirmed that possibility once more.