Jannik Sinner won the BNP Paribas Open title for the first time in his career by beating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) on Sunday afternoon. Playing in his first final at Indian Wells, Sinner won after one hour and 55 minutes.
Both players held the entire match, with Sinner only distinguishing himself – slightly – in each game. The second-ranked Italian earned just one point to break back from the first game at 6-6 before giving up one point later. It came back 4-0 in the second game it played to win the last seven points of the game.
“We came here early in the morning to prepare for this (tournament),” said Sinner during the cup ceremony. “Now it’s good to stand here with this cup.”
It was still a good week for Medvedev, who jokingly thanked tournament director Tommy Haas for making the courts faster this year – even though the Russian had reached the Indian Wells final on two previous occasions. Medvedev is 18-4 this season with titles in Brisbane and Dubai, and upset Carlos Alcaraz in the semis on Saturday.
“It’s great to see you back playing at this level,” said Sinner. “Keep going, keep pushing; I wish you nothing but the best for the rest of the season.”
“It’s amazing tennis,” Medvedev told the hero. “(It’s) hard to play with you. I tried my best; it was a great game. Congratulations on everything you do. Anytime you play Carlos, I love to see you. Now I was happy not to let Carlos play you again, but I love watching you. Go for it; keep winning and don’t quit.”
