Carlos Alcaraz suffered his first loss of the season in the Indian Wells Open semifinals to Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz fell to Medvedev in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6, with the Russian picking up his first win in the head-to-head since the 2023 US Open.
The Spaniard had been undefeated in 2026 prior to the match, having won the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, as well as his first four matches in Indian Wells.
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Medvedev ultimately lost to Jannik Sinner in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
After his first defeat of the year, Alcaraz took to social media to send a message to his conqueror.
Carlos Alcaraz congratulates Daniil Medvedev on Instagram
In a post on Instagram, the 22-year-old said: “Congratulations @medwed33 for a great match and good luck in the final!
“Thank you, Indian Wells, for the support this week! One of my favourite places on tour! See you next year!”
Alcaraz had dropped just one set prior to the clash with Medvedev, which came in his second-round meeting with Arthur Rinderknech.
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Outside of that, he picked up straight-set wins over Grigor Dimitrov, Casper Ruud and Cameron Norrie.
His defeat to Medvedev was the first he has been handed since losing to Sinner in the championship match of last year’s ATP Finals.
How many points Carlos Alcaraz will defend at the Miami Open
Following the conclusion of the Indian Wells Open, Alcaraz will soon embark on the second half of the Sunshine Double: The Miami Open.
Alcaraz will only have to defend 10 points at this year’s edition of the Miami Open, following a second-round exit last year.
In his opening matchup at the tournament in 2025, Alcaraz lost to David Goffin in three sets, marking one of nine defeats he would suffer all season.
The Miami Open was the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament Alcaraz won, claiming the crown back in 2022.
He made the semifinals in 2023, the quarterfinals in 2025 and the second round in 2025.
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