Jannik Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) on Sunday to win his first BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

The victory marked Sinner’s 25th ATP Tour title and his ninth win in 10 meetings against Medvedev, completing the tournament without dropping a set.

No player has won an event featuring both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the same draw for nearly two years.

Medvedev ended Alcaraz’s run in the semifinal but could not overcome Sinner in Sunday’s final at Stadium 1.

Sinner produced a composed performance to defeat the former world No. 1 in straight sets, claiming his maiden title in the California desert.

The win also extended the Italian’s streak of consecutive sets won at Masters 1,000 events to 22.

Only Novak Djokovic has recorded a longer run at the elite ATP Masters level.

Sinner said the victory was special after arriving early to prepare for the tournament.

“We came here very early to prepare, and now it’s even more special holding this beautiful trophy,” he said after lifting the Baccarat crystal trophy.

The triumph made Sinner the first player to win back-to-back Masters 1000 titles without dropping a set.

He also completed the full set of six Masters 1,000 titles and became the first Italian man to reach 100 match wins at that level.

Sinner congratulated Medvedev after the match and praised his return to top form.

“It’s great to see you back playing at this kind of level. Keep going and keep pushing,” he said.

Both players began the final strongly, producing high-quality rallies from the baseline.

After 51 minutes of fast-paced play, the opening set was decided by a tiebreak.

Sinner secured the first mini-break and converted the set point with a powerful unreturnable serve after one hour.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with both players holding serve and exchanging powerful groundstrokes.

At 2-2 in the second set, Sinner struck a fierce forehand down the line that left tennis legend Andre Agassi stunned courtside.

The shot reflected the aggressive style that has defined Sinner’s rise over the past three seasons.

In spite of matching Sinner’s pace and precision, Medvedev failed to break the Italian’s serve throughout the match.

Medvedev briefly led 4-0 in the second-set tiebreak, raising hopes of forcing a decider.

However, Sinner responded with seven consecutive points to seal the victory.

The Italian closed out the match in one hour and 55 minutes to secure the prestigious title.

Medvedev praised both Sinner and Alcaraz after the contest.

“Amazing tennis. Tough to play against you—I tried my best,” Medvedev said on court.

He added that he enjoyed watching the rivalry between the two young stars.

Sinner improved to 9-1 in his last 10 meetings with Medvedev and 9-7 overall in their rivalry.

The 24-year-old now joins Djokovic and Alcaraz as one of three active players with at least 25 ATP titles.

(NAN)