Alcaraz Medvedev sets up Indian Wells semifinal, Sabalenka also leads | Tennis news

Carlos Alcaraz will face Daniel Medvedev in the Indian Wells semifinals, while Janic Sinner will face Alexander Zverev.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz beat Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 on Thursday to set up an Indian Wells semi-final with Daniel Medvedev, then ended Russian Jack Draper’s title defense with a 6-17-5 victory after a controversial umpiring call.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the last four in the women’s draw with a 7-6(0) 6-4 win over 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, while Iga Sviatek could not overcome Elina Svitolina and crashed out 6-2 4-6 6-4.

Australian Open champion Alcaraz improved his record to 16-0 and started the year with a solid performance against a tricky opponent in the final event of the evening, staying on course for a third Indian Wells crown.

The Spaniard eased into the opening set, and although he was briefly in trouble at 0-2 in the second, he regained the momentum to see off Briton Norrie and set up a meeting with two-time runner-up Medvedev.

“It was really difficult, I struggled with Cameron’s style,” Alcaraz said.

“His forehand has super top-spin, and his backhands are flat, so it’s tricky to play against him and find the right shots. I played hard and aggressive when I could, and I’m happy to be at this level.”

Russian 11th seed Medvedev was in impressive form against Briton Draper, who had little time to recover after a stunning three-set win over Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.

Draper raised his level in the second set and stayed level with his opponent at 5-5, but Medvedev grabbed a late break after a controversial interruption by chair umpire Aurelie Tourte.

Medvedev was awarded a point to go 30-0 up after a late video review request, with the Russian saying the ball was out of bounds when the Briton thought he was distracted by Draper’s raised arm in the rally.

Draper insisted he didn’t cause too much confusion, but the umpire stood by his decision to award Medvedev the point, prompting jeers from the crowd when the call was made.

“If you look at the first forehand I made after it happened, I think I could have made a better shot if there was no gesture from Jack,” Medvedev told reporters.

“Was I distracted big time? No. Did I feel good about it? Not really. But I don’t feel like I cheated or anything. I was a little distracted. I let it go and I’ll let the umpire decide.”

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev defeated Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2 6-3 to reach the semifinals for the first time and become the fifth man to complete a last-four set in all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.

The German faces a bigger challenge in the next round, however, as he faces world number two Janic Sinner after making light work of Italian American Lerner Tien 6-1 6-2.

If Svitolina upsets Sviatek, Rybakina can wait for Sabalenka

World number two Sviatek struggled early against Svitolina, with the Ukrainian using five double faults to claim three breaks and take the opening set in 38 minutes.

Found her rhythm in the second, but Svitolina prevailed as she grabbed the only break in a tight third set to close out the match confidently to return to the semis for the first time in seven years.

Belarusian Sabalenka had a battle on her hands against Mboko, and the top seed was taken to a first-set tiebreak, which she won to love – a career first.

The second set followed a similar script, with Mboko breaking her back to 5-4 and threatening another tiebreak, but the four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka held firm.

“He is a future Grand Slam champion,” Sabalenka said. “It’s incredible to see how brave these young women are these days.”

Sabalenka next plays Linda Noskova, who ended Australian qualifier Talia Gibson’s fairytale run 6-2 4-6 6-2, as the Czech reached her second WTA 1000 semi-final.

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina reached another Indian Wells semi-final with a 6-1 7-6(4) win over Jessica Pegula, where she will play Svitolina.

Victory ensured that Rybakina will overtake Sviatek to reach a career-high world No. 2 ranking when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.