Even before the start of the Indian Wells Masters 1000, Carlos Alcaraz was considered as the top favorite to lift the trophy. The Spanish ace has triumphed in California in the last two editions and the absence of Jannik Sinner had further increased his chances of prevailing for the third year in a row.
His run in the first Masters 1000 of the season has just begun, but the situation has turned out favorably for the 4-time Grand Slam champion.
The new surface is slower even slower than the previous one and the ball bounces very high, a feature that Carlitos likes as he demonstrated during his first match here against Quentin Halys.
In addition, the premature losses of Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic both eliminated in the second round seem to have paved the way for the 21-year-old from Murcia.
Shapovalov wants to beat Alcaraz
The current world number 3 will face Denis Shapovalov in the third round and will have to be very careful to avoid drops.
The Canadian star seemed to have definitively moved away from the top of men's tennis and many had labeled him as a wasted talent, but he has worked very hard in recent months and the first fruits have been evident.
After triumphing in Belgrade in the latter part of last year, 'Shapo' has already won a title in 2025 in Dallas in February.
Denis played some impressive tennis that week, showing that he can still be dangerous for top players on days when he is inspired.
The former world number 1 will obviously be favored in a tournament that is one of his favorites, but if he has ups and downs during the match he could find himself in serious difficulty against a rival who will have nothing to lose.
Carlos has the chance to close his gap to Sascha Zverev in the ATP rankings, if he confirms the title won in the last two editions.
The German will lose 200 points having failed to defend the 2024 quarter-finals, which is why the Spaniard will be able to move to just over 400 points away lifting the trophy on Sunday.
