Medvedev, who arrived in the United States after leaving the UAE via Oman amid Iranian attacks, ended his 16-match streak as world No. 1.
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Published March 15, 2026
At the Indian Wells Open, Daniil Medvedev, who entered the tournament amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, suffered his first loss of the year to top seed Carlos Alcaraz and advanced to the final.
The 11th-seeded Medvedev advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win on Saturday and will face second-seeded Jannik Sinner, who defeated Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4 in the California-based tournament.
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Alcaraz had won 16 straight games this year, including titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open, but Medvedev ended any chance of a final between Alcaraz and Sinner.
Medvedev had lost his previous four matches against Alcaraz, including a loss in the 2024 Indian Wells final. The win against Alcaraz is Medvedev’s first since the 2023 US Open semifinals.
The Russian player was stranded 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 regional conflict.
Medvedev was unable to leave Dubai for two days due to airspace closures, so his participation in the premier tournament based on the US West Coast appeared in doubt.
The 30-year-old, along with fellow players Andrei Rublev and Karen Khachanov, crossed overland into Oman after a six-hour drive and were able to return home on the third day.
The players boarded a plane from Oman to Istanbul, then left the Turkish city and arrived in the United States two days before the opening game at Indian Wells.
“I feel like I’m in a Hollywood movie,” Medvedev told Russian outlet Borsche about his multi-leg journey to reach the tournament he is likely to miss.
Medvedev was scheduled to compete in the Eisenhower Cup, a one-night tie-break ten doubles tournament, on March 3 with fellow Russian Mila Andreeva, but she missed the exhibition event.
Meanwhile, Sinner made quick work of Zverev in the second semi-final match, defeating the German in one hour and 23 minutes. Sinner made six aces against fourth-seeded Zverev.
Zverev won the first eight points on serve. However, Sinner broke Zverev in the fifth and seventh games to secure the first set. Sinner leads the head-to-head series against Zverev 7-4.
Neither Medvedev nor Sinner have yet to drop a set in this tournament. Sinner has won the previous three matches against Medvedev, including the 2024 US Open quarterfinals.
In the women’s doubles final, Taylor Townsend/Katerina Sinakova defeated Anna Danilina/Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4. The victory was Townsend’s first at Indian Wells and Sinakova’s second. Sinakova also won in 2023 with her long-time partner Barbora Krejcikova.
In the men’s doubles final, Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard defeated Arthur Rinderknek and Valentin Bachelot 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.
