California: Jannik Sinner etched his name alongside tennis legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after winning the prestigious Indian Wells Masters title with a straight-sets victory over Daniil Medvedev on Sunday.
The world number two defeated the Russian 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4) in a gripping final played under scorching conditions in California, securing his first title of the 2026 season. The match lasted just under two hours, with Sinner delivering a flawless serving performance.
With the win, the Italian became only the third player in history to complete the full set of major hard-court titles—a remarkable list that includes the Australian Open, US Open, all six hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events, and the season-ending ATP Finals.
Before Sinner, only Federer and Djokovic had achieved the feat. Sinner has captured the Australian Open twice (2024 and 2025) and the US Open in 2024, while also winning the Masters events in Miami, Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. His triumph at Indian Wells completed the rare hard-court sweep.
The 24-year-old dominated the final with his serve, not facing a single break point throughout the match. He won 43 of 47 points behind his first serve and fired 10 aces, maintaining control even as Medvedev pushed both sets to tie-breaks.
The victory also continued Sinner’s strong run against Medvedev, with the Italian now winning nine of their last 10 meetings.
For Medvedev, the runner-up finish still marked a positive week.
The former US Open champion is set to return to the world’s top 10 in the rankings after reaching the final. Sinner’s commanding run in the California desert saw him win the tournament without dropping a set, underlining his growing dominance on hard courts and reinforcing his status as one of the leading forces in men’s tennis.
Source: ATP, BBC sports
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