Alcaraz Dominates as American Stars Shine at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz kept his dream of a historic Indian Wells three-peat alive with a dominant 6-2, 6-4 victory over Denis Shapovalov in the third round. The second-seeded Spaniard was in total control, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set and striking over 10 winners. Shapovalov, fresh off a confidence-boosting win in Dallas, struggled to match Alcaraz’s intensity.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was near flawless in the second set, never facing a break and sealing the win in under 90 minutes with a powerful overhead smash.

“I knew I had to start strong because it was going to be a tough battle,” Alcaraz said after the match. “I’m happy with my performance, though there are still things to improve.”

Alcaraz is chasing history, hoping to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three consecutive Indian Wells titles. Up next, he faces 14th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, who battled past Gael Monfils in a grueling three-hour contest.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cruised through her third-round match, dismantling Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-2. The Belarusian showed no signs of the struggles that led to early exits in Qatar and Dubai. Despite tricky wind conditions, she powered through to set up a fourth-round clash with British lucky loser Sonay Kartal.

“It wasn’t as easy as the score suggests,” Sabalenka admitted. “But I’m happy with how I managed it.”

American Charge in Full Swing
It was a great day for American tennis, with Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton all advancing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Third-seeded Gauff overcame Greek star Maria Sakkari 7-6, 6-2, despite battling nerves in the final game, where she double-faulted six times before clinching the match on her sixth match point.

“Except for the last game, I thought I played great,” Gauff said, eager for revenge after losing to Sakkari in last year’s semi-finals. She now faces Swiss star Belinda Bencic in the next round.

Madison Keys, fresh off her Australian Open triumph, extended her winning streak to 14 matches, defeating Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. Despite saving 12 of 15 break points, Keys remains focused on fine-tuning her game.

“As great as Australia was, there were still moments where things got away from me,” she said. “I’m trying to be really conscious of that.”

Defending champion Taylor Fritz had a slow start but found his rhythm to beat Alejandro Tabilo 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. He now braces for a tough battle against Jack Draper, who dashed American hopes by eliminating Jenson Brooksby.

Ben Shelton, 22, electrified the crowd with his aggressive play, taking down Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-5. Fighting through blisters, Shelton stormed back from a break down in the second set, closing the match with an ace and an emphatic fist pump. He now faces fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16.

With Alcaraz and Sabalenka leading the charge, and American stars thriving under home support, Indian Wells is heating up for an exciting finish.