Carlos Alcaraz defeated Cameron Norrie, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the semifinals of Indian Wells.
In doing so, he broke yet another tennis record.
Alcaraz is now the youngest player to have reached five consecutive Indian Wells semifinals.
Carlos Alcaraz breaks Rafael Nadal’s Indian Wells record
The 22-year-old has been a semifinalist at the last five Indian Wells tournaments.
- 2022 Indian Wells – Lost in SF to Rafael Nadal
- 2023 Indian Wells – Champion
- 2024 Indian Wells – Champion
- 2025 Indian Wells – Lost in SF to Jack Draper
- 2026 Indian Wells – SF vs Daniil Medvedev
Reaching the semis in 2026 at 22 years old, Alcaraz became the youngest player to make the last four in California five years in a row.
| Player | Five consecutive Indian Wells semifinals | Age at fifth consecutive Indian Wells semifinal |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2022-2026 | 22 years, 303 days |
| Rafael Nadal | 2006-2010 | 23 years, 290 days |
| Novak Djokovic | 2011-2015 | 27 years, 302 days |
His countryman, Rafael Nadal, previously held the record, making his fifth consecutive semifinal in 2010, at the age of 23.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic was 27 when he played his fifth semifinal 11 years ago.
Alcaraz is no stranger to breaking ‘youngest-ever’ records, as he did the same at the Australian Open this year.
Winning his first title down under, Alcaraz became the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old will be pleased to have reached another Indian Wells semifinal, but he’ll know there is still a job to be done.
Who stands between Carlos Alcaraz and a third Indian Wells title?
Alcaraz is back in the Indian Wells semis, but who will he need to beat to take the title?
2026 Indian Wells men’s singles semifinals
- [1] Carlos Alcaraz vs [11] Daniil Medvedev
- [4] Alexander Zverev vs [2] Jannik Sinner
First up for Alcaraz is a tricky test against the in-form Medvedev.
The Russian has won his last eight matches on tour, picking up the Dubai Tennis Championships title recently.
Alcaraz does, however, have a winning head-to-head record against Medvedev and beat him in back-to-back Indian Wells finals.
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 China Open – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2024 Wimbledon – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2024 Indian Wells – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2023 ATP Finals – RR | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2023 US Open – SF | Daniil Medvedev | Carlos Alcaraz | 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2023 Wimbledon – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2021 Wimbledon – 2R | Daniil Medvedev | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 |
Should Alcaraz advance past Medvedev, he’d meet either Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev in the final.
Alcaraz last played Zverev in the Australian Open semifinals.
There, he outlasted the German in a five-set classic.
Are you surprised by how he has coped since Ferrero’s departure? 🤔
However, he has yet to play Sinner in the 2026 season.
The world’s top two players met in six finals last year, with Alcaraz winning that head-to-head, 4-2.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s 2025 head-to-head
- 2025 Italian Open F – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 French Open F – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 Wimbledon F – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 Cincinnati Open F – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 US Open F – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 ATP Finals F – Jannik Sinner
Many expected Sinner and Alcaraz to face off in the final of the Australian Open and Qatar Open this year.
The ‘dream matches’ never materialised, though, as Sinner lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals, and to Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals, while Alcaraz won both titles.
Only time will tell if they will contest the 2026 Indian Wells final, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
First, Alcaraz will play Medvedev, and Sinner will play Zverev in the Indian Wells semifinals on Saturday, March 14.
