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Jannik Sinner claimed his first title of the year with victory over Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells, while Aryna Sabalenka snapped her losing streak against Elena Rybakina in a thrilling women’s final.
Four-time grand slam champion Sinner had had a slightly underwhelming start to the season by his stratospheric standards but he was peerless in the Californian desert, not dropping a set through the fortnight.
A tight, high-quality encounter against a resurgent Medvedev looked like it would head to a decider when the Russian went 4-0 up in the second-set tie-break but Sinner reeled off seven points in a row to clinch a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) victory.
His first title at the BNP Paribas Open means Sinner has completed the set of all the biggest titles on hard courts, winning the Australian Open, US Open, ATP Finals and all six Masters 1000 events.
The 24-year-old told Sky Sports: “It has been a very, very tough tournament. In my mind I knew it was the only hard-court tournament of the big ones I hadn’t won so I’m very happy about how I handled it. Seeing Daniil playing again this level, it’s important for tennis.”
He is also the only player to win back-to-back titles at Masters level – the pinnacle of the ATP Tour – without dropping a set having done the same in Paris at the end of last season.
Medvedev was bidding to join Novak Djokovic by beating Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner at the same tournament, and he brought the same aggressive, precision tennis that had seen him stun the world No 1 in Saturday’s semi-finals.
But Sinner served superbly in scorching conditions, not facing a break point throughout the match, and managed to come out on top in the crunch moments.
The consolation for Medvedev, who was close to missing the tournament after he was caught up in the travel chaos in the Middle East, is that he will return to the top 10 on Monday.
Earlier, women’s world No 1 Sabalenka got the better of Rybakina, having overcome the same opponent to win her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in 2023. Since then she had lost all four finals against the Kazakh, including at the WTA Finals last season and in Melbourne in January.
Sabalenka said after winning her semi-final that she was “so done” with losing big finals, and she saved a match point in the deciding tie-break to come through 3-6 6-3 7-6 (6).
After celebrating on court with her fiance and new puppy, Sabalenka said in her on-court interview: “What a week – getting a puppy, getting engaged and winning a title. I will definitely remember it for the rest of my life.”
Rybakina was on a 12-match winning streak against top-10 opponents and she looked in control of the contest at a set and a break up.
Sabalenka, who also lost two slam finals last year, cracked her racket on the ground in frustration but from there she turned the second set around, winning four games in a row and surviving late pressure to force a decider.
This was a first-strike battle of power tennis, and Sabalenka had the chance to serve the match out at 5-4 in the third set only for Rybakina to hit back.
When Rybakina, who will leapfrog Iga Swiatek to become world No 2 on Monday for the first time, then saved five break points in the next game, Sabalenka must have feared the worst.
However, she did not allow her emotions to overwhelm her, calmly saving a match point at 5-6 in the tie-break with a crunching backhand and seizing her first opportunity to win the title.
