Medvedev, who arrived in the United States after leaving the United Arab Emirates via Oman amid Iranian attacks, ends the world number one’s 16-match streak.
Posted on March 15, 2026
Daniil Medvedev handed top seed Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year and advanced to the final of the Indian Wells Open after arriving at the tournament amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The 11th-seeded Medvedev advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory on Saturday and will face second-seeded Jannik Sinner, who beat Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4 in the California-based tournament.
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Alcaraz had won 16 consecutive matches this year, including titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open, but Medvedev ended the chance of a final between Alcaraz and Sinner.
Medvedev had lost his last four meetings against Alcaraz, including a loss in the Indian Wells final in 2024. This was Medvedev’s first victory over him since the US Open semifinals in 2023.
The Russian player was stuck in the United Arab Emirates for three days after winning the title at the Dubai Tennis Championships on February 28, the day the United States and Israel attacked Iran to start a region-wide conflict.
Medvedev’s participation in the premier tournament based on the US west coast looked doubtful after he was unable to leave Dubai for two days due to airspace closures.
The 30-year-old was able to leave on the third day, crossing into Oman by land after a six-hour journey together with his teammates Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.
From Oman, the players boarded a flight to Istanbul before leaving the Turkish city to arrive in the United States two days before their first matches in Indian Wells.
“You feel like you’re in a Hollywood movie,” Medvedev told Russian media outlet Bolshe of his multi-stage journey to reach the tournament he was likely to miss.
Medvedev was scheduled to play the Eisenhower Cup, a one-night Tie Break Tens doubles event alongside fellow Russian Mirra Andreeva on March 3, but missed the exhibition event.
Meanwhile, Sinner made short work of Zverev in the second semi-final, beating the German in one hour and 23 minutes. Sinner scored six aces against fourth-seeded Zverev.
Zverev won his first eight points on serve. But Sinner broke Zverev in the fifth and seventh games to clinch the first set. Sinner now leads the head-to-head series against Zverev 7-4.
Neither Medvedev nor Sinner have lost a set yet in this tournament. Sinner has won his last three matches against Medvedev, including the US Open quarterfinals in 2024.
In the women’s doubles final, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova beat Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4. The victory marked Townsend’s first in Indian Wells and Siniakova’s second. Siniakova also won in 2023 alongside her partner Barbora Krejcikova.
In the men’s doubles final, Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard defeated Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot 7-6 (3), 6-3. In mixed doubles, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli defeated top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Lloyd Glasspool 6-3, 2-6, 10-7.
