Jannik Sinner captured his first Indian Wells title on Sunday, beating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in a high-level final that underlined just how hard he has become to dislodge on big hard-court stages. The Italian world No. 2 did not drop a set all tournament and closed the match with a blistering run in the second-set tiebreak after falling behind 4-0.
The win gave Sinner another major milestone in a career that already looks increasingly complete at age 24. With the title in the California desert, he became just the third man to win all six ATP Masters 1000 events played on hard courts, joining Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. It was also his sixth Masters 1000 title overall and his first trophy of the 2026 season.
The final itself was tighter than the straight-sets score suggests. Medvedev, who had knocked out Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, pushed Sinner through long baseline exchanges and repeatedly tested him with changes of pace and depth.
But Sinner was sharper in the biggest moments, taking both tiebreaks and refusing to let the match drift when pressure rose. Reuters reported that he finished with 28 winners, 10 aces and won all eight of his net approaches, a remarkably clean stat line in a final decided by fine margins.
Sinner’s composure late in the second-set tiebreak may have been the defining stretch of the match. Down 4-0 and facing the possibility of being dragged into a third set against one of the sport’s toughest defenders, he reeled off seven straight points to slam the door. It was the kind of closing burst that has become more and more characteristic of his game: calm, precise and ruthless when the opening appears.
The title also reinforced Sinner’s grip on the sport’s biggest hard-court events. ATP Tour said he arrived in Indian Wells having already won the other five hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments, and this victory completed the set.
He became the first player since 1990 to win back-to-back Masters 1000 titles without losing a set, extending a category winning streak that began with his Paris triumph last November.
For Medvedev, it was another painful Indian Wells final defeat after his strong run through the draw, including that statement win over Alcaraz. For Sinner, it felt like something else: not just another title, but another sign that the balance of power in men’s tennis is still tilting in his direction.
