This Week in Tennis: Alcaraz and Swiatek in Line…

Repeats. That was the overarching theme of championship weekend at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

On the WTA side of the docket, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek captured her second title in the past three years in the California desert thanks to a dominant 6-4, 6-0 victory over Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the final. The Pole also defeated Sakkari to take home the trophy in 2022.

Swiatek did not drop more than four games in any set she played during the tournament and only lost 21 games total in six matches. She now owns eight career WTA 1000 titles to go along with four Grand Slam crowns and has won at least two titles in each of the last four seasons.

Alcaraz Still the Champion in Indian Wells

Meanwhile, the ATP singles draw concluded with world no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz winning his first trophy since Wimbledon last year and in the process, he successfully defended the title he won in Indian Wells last year. In fact, the 2024 championship match featured the same two finalists as the title contest in 2023 with the Spaniard getting the better of Daniil Medvedev on both occasions.

Alcaraz defeated two of the Top 4 players in the world (Medvedev and his good friend Jannik Sinner) over the final weekend to earn his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and 13th tour-level crown overall. This despite concerns about his ankle heading into the event and a perceived lack of confidence about his overall game given his slow start to the season.

For his part, Medvedev was trying to complete the ATP Masters 1000 hard court collection as Indian Wells is the only event at that level he has yet to win.

A Star-Studded Sunday

Celebrities were out in full force to enjoy both singles finals on a sunny Sunday in the desert including superstar couple Zendaya and Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.