The 20-year-old Spaniard is just the second man ever to win five Masters 1000 titles before turning 21, after Rafael Nadal.
For the second straight year, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev met for the BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells—and for the second straight year, Alcaraz came away with the trophy.
It was a tighter scoreline than last year’s 6-3, 6-2 decision, but Alcaraz still did it in straight sets, bouncing back from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat the Russian, 7-6 (5), 6-1, for the championship.
And with the victory, Alcaraz managed to pull off a few things:
He’s the first man to successfully defend an Indian Wells title in eight years. The last man to conquer tennis paradise in back-to-back years was Novak Djokovic, who actually did it in back-to-back-to-back years, winning three straight in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
He’s the second man ever to win five Masters 1000 titles before turning 21. The 20-year-old Spaniard joins countryman Rafael Nadal on that very exclusive list—Nadal actually won nine before turning 21.
It was his first title since Wimbledon. Since capturing his second Grand Slam title last July, Alcaraz had done very well—a final in Cincinnati and four more semifinals, including at the US Open and ATP Finals—but now, in the desert, he’s back in the winner’s circle.