Indian Wells Open: Alcaraz leads men’s charge; Svitolina stuns her way into semis

CALIFORNIA: The quarterfinal stage of the ongoing Indian Wells Open produced thrilling contests and major upsets as world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz led a star-studded charge into the semifinals, while Elina Svitolina grabbed headlines with a stunning win in the women’s draw on Thursday.

Alcaraz stormed into the semifinals with a commanding straight-sets victory in the quarterfinal clash against Cameron Norrie. The Spaniard defeated Norrie 6-3, 6-4, controlling the rallies from the baseline and raising his level at crucial moments.

The Final Four couldn’t be complete without the World No.1

The moment @carlosalcaraz reached his fifth Indian Wells Semi-FInal in a row as he takes out Norrie 6-3 6-4 #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/llWi0KaHgt

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 13, 2026

The win keeps Alcaraz on course for another title win as the Spaniard willl meet in a high-stakes semi-final clash against former champion Daniil Medvedev on March 13. Medvedev earlier booked his place in the last four with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Jack Draper, continuing his impressive consistency at Indian Wells.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Alexander Zverev advanced to the semi-final after beating rising French talent Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3, while Italian star and World No. 2 Jannik Sinner dominated American youngster Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2.

With those results, the men’s singles semifinal line-up promises blockbuster encounters, including Alcaraz vs Medvedev and Zverev vs Sinner, taking place this Sunday.

On the women’s side, the quarterfinals produced both commanding wins and a major upset. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka edged Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-6(0), 6-4, while Czech youngster and World No. 14 Linda Noskova defeated Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to continue her breakthrough run.

The biggest shock came when Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina stunned former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, showcasing resilience and tactical discipline. Former champion Elena Rybakina also progressed, defeating American Jessica Pegula 6-1, 7-6(4).

One set from the semifinal @ElinaSvitolina hits the front, taking the opener 6-2 against Swiatek.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/T8Mhcg5qfF

— wta (@WTA) March 12, 2026

Earlier in the Round 16, Serbian Legend Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Indian Wells Open tournament after World No. 14 Draper produced one of the biggest results.

Draper battled past Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a hard-fought encounter at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, surviving a tense deciding-set tie-break to seal a memorable victory. Draper showed composure under pressure against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, rallying after losing the opening set and eventually edging the Serbian in a gripping decider. (ANI)