INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) on Sunday, winning seven straight points to rally from a 4-0 deficit in the second-set tiebreak and claim the title without dropping a single set.<\/p>\n
The No. 2-ranked Italian beat Medvedev for the ninth time in their last 10 matches to claim his first title at the California desert tournament<\/a>. Medvedev handed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.<\/p>\n Sinner congratulated fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli, who won Formula One\u2019s Chinese Grand Prix earlier Sunday. <\/p>\n \u201cIt hasn\u2019t anything to do with tennis, but it has been a special day for Italy,\u201d Sinner said. \u201cBecause I\u2019m a huge Formula One fan and having a very, very young Italian, Kimi, bringing Italy back home at the top, it\u2019s amazing. So, thanks, Kimi, thanks Formula One, and see you next year.\u201d<\/p>\n World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the women\u2019s final Sunday for her first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and \u201925, finished off the win with a big serve that Rybakina hit long. <\/p>\n It was a sweltering afternoon on the court as the temperatures soared into the 90s. The 27-year-old Sabalenka had a chance to close out the third set but was broken at 5-4. Rybakina found herself with a championship point in the tiebreaker, only to have Sabalenka hit a backhand winner.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the whole idea going into this match was to be mentally strong, to stay strong, no matter what, to show with the body language that I\u2019m here, I\u2019m fighting,\u201d Sabalenka said in a post-match interview on the Tennis Channel. \u201cYou have to get a win with incredible tennis and that was the whole idea going into this one. I\u2019m happy that it really worked.\u201d<\/p>\n