Carlos Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of Indian Wells, while Jannik Sinner will face Alexander Zverev.
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Published March 13, 2026
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz won his title defense against Jack Draper 6-17-5 after a controversial refereeing decision, defeating Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday and paving the way for an Indian Wells semi-final against Daniil Medvedev.
In the women’s draw, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka also advanced to the final four with a 7-6 (0), 6-4 victory over 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, but Iga Swiatek could not get past Elina Svitolina and lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
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Australian Open champion Alcaraz improved his record to 16-0 and continued on track for his third Indian Wells crown after starting the year with a solid performance against a tricky opponent in that night’s final.
The Spaniard breezed through the first set and briefly faltered in the second when he was down 2-0, but quickly regained his momentum and defeated Briton Norrie to set up a match with two-time runner-up Medvedev.
“It was really difficult. I struggled with Cameron’s style,” Alcaraz said.
“His forehand has super topspin and his backhand is flat, so it’s hard to find the right shot against him. I played as solid and aggressive as I could. I’m happy to have reached this level.”
Russia’s 11th seed Medvedev was also in great form against Briton Draper, who had little time to recover after an impressive three-set win over Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.
Draper raised his level in the second set and led his opponent to 5-5, but Medvedev secured a late break after a controversial interference call from referee Aurélie Tourte.
Medvedev was given the point for a 30-0 lead following a second-half video review request after the Russian said he was distracted by Draper’s raised arm during a rally when he thought the ball was out.
Draper insisted he had not caused any major disruption, but the referee stood by his decision to award Medvedev the point, prompting jeers from the crowd after the decision was made.
“If you look at the first forehand I hit after what happened, I think it would have been a better shot without Jack’s gesture,” Medvedev told reporters.
“Was I pretty distracted? No. Do 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 let the referee make the decision.”
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev defeated France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals for the first time, becoming the fifth player to reach a best-of-four set in all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
However, the German will face a bigger challenge in the next round as he faces world number two Jannik Sinner after the Italian easily defeated American Lerner Tien 6-1, 6-2.
Svitolina upsets Swiatek, while Rybakina could wait for Sabalenka
World No. 2 Swiatek struggled from the start against Svitolina, with the Ukrainian capitalizing on five double faults to secure three breaks and take the first set in 38 minutes.
She found her rhythm in the second set and wasted a deciding chance, but Svitolina secured the only break in a close third set to regain the upper hand and close out the match with confidence, returning to the semi-finals for the first time in seven years.
Sabalenka of Belarus had a tough battle with Mboko, which went to a first-set tie-break, and she took a stunning victory for the first time in her career.
The second set was similar, with Mboko going up 5-4 and threatening another tie-break, but four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka held firm.
“She is a future Grand Slam champion,” Sabalenka said. “It’s amazing how brave young girls are these days.”
Sabalenka will next face Linda Noskova, who ended Australian qualifier Talia Gibson’s fairytale winning streak 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, and the Czech reached her second WTA 1000 semi-final.
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina beat Jessica Pegula 6-1, 7-6 (4) to advance to the Indian Wells semi-finals where she will face Svitolina.
The win ensures Rybakina will overtake Swiatek and move to a career-high No. 2 in the world when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.
