Carlos Alcaraz maintained his strong bid for a third consecutive Indian Wells title with an impressive 6-2, 6-4 win over Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
The second-seeded Spaniard was in complete control from the start, taking the first five games of the match with ease. He fired off more than 10 winners in the first set alone. Shapovalov couldn’t find his usual rhythm, leaving him unable to match Alcaraz’s pace and precision.
Alcaraz, a four-time major champion, was nearly perfect in the second set, never facing a breakpoint. He dominated from start to finish, and the match ended under 90 minutes with a powerful overhead smash from the Spaniard.
Alcaraz will now face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the next round, after Dimitrov secured a tough win over Gael Monfils with a final scoreline of 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2).
After his win, Alcaraz said: “I knew at the beginning of the match that I had to be really focused. I had to start the match really strong, knowing it was going to be a really tough battle.”
He added: “I’m just really pleased about my performance today, about everything I have done… Few things that I have to improve, but I’m really happy.”
Alcaraz is looking to make history by becoming only the third player to win three straight titles at the Masters 1000 tournament, following in the footsteps of retired legend Roger Federer and former world number one Novak Djokovic.
In a social media post, Alcaraz shared: “🐝🐝🐝 More progress in the desert! 🌴🔛We’re in the last sixteen! 💪🏻”
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