Indian Wells, March 10 (IANS) World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz staged a strong comeback to defeat France’s Arthur Rinderknech and moved into the next round of the Indian Wells Open, overcoming an early setback to secure a 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2 victory.

The Spaniard faced a tough challenge early in the contest, dropping the opening set and falling behind by a break in the second as Rinderknech’s powerful serve and aggressive approach put him under sustained pressure.

However, Alcaraz gradually wrested control of the match, turning the tide with improved consistency and composure to maintain his flawless start to the 2026 season, now standing at 14-0.

“He was playing his best tennis, I would say, in the first, the beginning of the second. For me, it was really, really difficult. I got in trouble, to be honest, but just really happy with the way that I dealt with everything that was happening.

“I accepted it, kept going, stayed strong mentally and then tried to do a little bit different… I think I just started to play more solid, waiting for my chances,” said Alcaraz, who was challenged early on by Rinderknech’s aggressive start.

The opening set proved tightly contested, with Alcaraz nearly snatching it after recovering from a 2/5 deficit in the tie-break. However, a mistimed forehand on set point at 6/5 allowed Rinderknech to capitalise and claim the set before breaking early in the second to strengthen his advantage.

Despite that momentum, the Frenchman was unable to consolidate the break as Alcaraz found his rhythm. The Spaniard converted four of his ten break-point opportunities across the final two sets, gradually overpowering his opponent once he settled into his game on the stadium court.

Alcaraz also overcame a brief scare when he appeared to twist his ankle early in the second set. Although the moment raised concerns, the top seed showed no lasting effects as he closed out the match strongly.

“I moved in the third set perfectly, so hopefully tomorrow is going to be like nothing at all,” he said.

The win not only extended Alcaraz’s unbeaten start to the season, following title triumphs at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open in Doha, but also marked his 32nd consecutive victory on outdoor hard courts, a run stretching back to the Miami Open last year. It also improved his head-to-head record against Rinderknech to 6-0.

Alcaraz will next face Casper Ruud in the round of 16, holding a 5-1 advantage in their previous meetings. The Norwegian, seeded 13th, also fought back from a set down to defeat Valentin Vacherot 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.

In another result, Daniil Medvedev wrapped up the men’s evening session with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 win over Sebastian Baez on Stadium 2. Both players entered the match tied for the most wins on tour this season with 14, but the victory pushed Medvedev ahead as the first player to reach 15 singles wins in 2026.

The Russian is currently riding a six-match winning streak, a run that began during his successful title campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships last month.

–IANS

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