Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be the two big favorites for the Indian Wells title this year.
Alcaraz has been dominant so far in 2026, and is yet to lose a match after winning both the Australian Open and the Qatar Open.
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This is in contrast with his biggest rival Sinner, who is yet to win a title this year after suffering losses to Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik.
While Sinner will be looking to get back on track at Indian Wells, his record at the tournament suggests that Alcaraz may have the upper hand.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s previous results at Indian Wells
Alcaraz has already won Indian Wells twice in his career, going back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, with the slower surface appearing to suit his game.
The Spaniard was unable to make it three in a row last year, with Alcaraz losing to Jack Draper, the eventual champion, in the semifinals.
Alcaraz’s other two losses at Indian Wells have come against multiple-time Grand Slam champions in Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.
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This is a different picture for Sinner, who is yet to win the Indian Wells title and has not even reached the final of the tournament.
Indian Wells remains the only hard court Masters 1000 event where Sinner is yet to reach the final.
Sinner’s best two results came in 2023 and 2024, but both years he was beaten by eventual champion Alcaraz.
The Italian was unable to go one better last year, as Sinner was banned from tennis for three months and therefore missed Indian Wells.
While he may not go all the way to winning the title, it means that Sinner has a big opportunity to close the gap on Alcaraz in terms of ranking points at Indian Wells this year.
| Indian Wells | Carlos Alcaraz’s Result | Jannik Sinner’s Result |
| 2021 | Second Round – Lost to Andy Murray | Fourth Round – Lost to Taylor Fritz |
| 2022 | Semifinal – Lost to Rafael Nadal | Fourth Round – Gave a walkover to Nick Kyrgios due to illness |
| 2023 | Won the title | Semifinal – Lost to Carlos Alcaraz |
| 2024 | Won the title | Semifinal – Lost to Carlos Alcaraz |
| 2025 | Semifinal – Lost to Jack Draper | Did not play |
Has Carlos Alcaraz ever completed the sunshine double?
One of the big features of Indian Wells is that it is the start of the sunshine double, with the Miami Open following straight after the conclusion of the tournament.
Only seven men in history have completed the sunshine double, which is when you win Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year, but Alcaraz is not one of them.
Alcaraz won his first ever Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open, but he is yet to have done it in the same year as winning Indian Wells.
| Year | Carlos Alcaraz’s Indian Wells Result | Carlos Alcaraz’s Miami Open Result |
| 2021 | Second Round | First Round |
| 2022 | Semifinal | Won the title |
| 2023 | Won the title | Semifinal |
| 2024 | Won the title | Quarterfinal |
| 2025 | Semifinal | Second Round |
The closest Alcaraz has come to completing the sunshine double was in 2023, when he was just two wins away before being beaten in the semifinals of the Miami Open by Sinner.
Sinner did not win the Miami Open that year, but he did in 2024 after beating Grigor Dimitrov in the final.
Both players will be looking to make history at Indian Wells and the Miami Open this year, which get underway on Wednesday, March 4.
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