Carlos Alcaraz Eyes Historic Third Indian Wells Title After Unbeaten Start to 2026

After successful tournament runs in Melbourne and Doha, Carlos Alcaraz returns to the site of his most dominant Masters 1000 event on tour as he prepares to chase a third title at Indian Wells.

The Spaniard enters the tournament not only as the favorite ahead of Jannik Sinner and the rest of the field, but also undefeated on the year. In his most recent outing, he produced one of the most impressive performances of his career, dismantling Arthur Fils 6–2 6–1 in the Doha final.

A Special Relationship with Indian Wells

A two-time champion at Indian Wells, Alcaraz has now made deep runs at the tournament for four consecutive years — more than at any other event on tour. That stretch includes title runs in 2023 and 2024, as well as semifinal appearances in 2022, where he lost to Rafael Nadal, and again last year.

Overall, he holds a remarkable 20–3 record at the tournament, translating to an 87 percent win rate. His victories in the desert include two final triumphs over Daniil Medvedev, a comprehensive win against Alexander Zverev, and multiple victories over his rival Jannik Sinner. The most notable of those came in the 2024 semifinals, when Alcaraz stormed back from a set down to win.

“I Love This Tournament”

Ahead of the tournament, Alcaraz once again spoke to the media about what makes Indian Wells so special to him.

“I feel really excited. It’s always great to be back in Indian Wells. I love this tournament, the atmosphere, and everything about it. I’m feeling good, even better after the start of the year, and playing some really good tennis. As I said after the last final (in Doha), it was probably one of the top ten matches I’ve played in my career so far. Now I’m just trying to play my best tennis when it matters.”

That mindset has defined this phase of his career. Even after completing the Career Grand Slam in Australia earlier this year, Alcaraz stressed that his focus remains on improvement and progress rather than results alone.

With that approach, he has established himself as the most dominant force in men’s tennis at present. He will look to maintain that momentum at a tournament where he has consistently thrived, beginning his campaign on Saturday against the winner of Grigor Dimitrov and Terence Atmane.

Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

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