Jannik Sinner storms past Alexander Zverev to reach his first Indian Wells final | ATP Tour

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Sinner cruised past Zverev to reach his first Indian Wells final

World No. 2 will face Alcaraz or Medvedev for the ATP Masters 1000 crown

March 14, 2026

Jannik Sinner spent little time breaking the California-desert barrier on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open.

The number 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 semi-final victory against fourth seed Alexander Zverev at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Sinner, who has won the last four games in his last two matches at Indian Wells, produced a sharp performance to earn his sixth consecutive tour win against Zverev and make his first tournament appearance at ‘Tennis Paradise’.

All electricity, no breaks 😤@janniksin reaches his first Indian Wells final after a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 win over Zverev! @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/wLYgPphmMf

– ATP Tour (@atptour) March 14, 2026

“It’s a big success, the first time here in the final means a lot to me,” said Sinner. “It’s the third time I’m playing a semi-final here, so I’m very happy about that… Now let’s see what’s coming. Yes, the next one will be a very difficult test, but I’m very happy. We improved this week, this tournament, and that for me was the most important part.

“It was a very good match from my side. Sascha didn’t play very well today I felt. I broke him a few times in the first set, which gave me confidence to continue, and I worked very well in the important moments. I’m very happy.”

After reaching the final for the sixth time in his last seven Masters 1000 appearances, the 24-year-old Sinner will face World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final. The Italian lost to Lexus ATP Head2Head arch-rival Alcaraz in the semi-finals at Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024.

Zverev made a confident start to Saturday’s semi-final. The German won his first eight points but, as Sinner took a deep return position to ensure he moved into the circles, that lull quickly ended. The Italian converted a break point at 30/40 in each of the fifth and seventh games, with Zverev pushing ahead on both occasions to give his opponents a break. In the eighth game, Sinner quickly closed out the set where he dropped four points after serving.

Needing to stop Sinner’s momentum, Zverev came agonizingly close to dropping a sixth straight game early in the second set. He pushed another long way and then double-faulted to give Sinner two break points at 15/40, but the German was determined to hold on and regain his footing in the game.

It seems that he has settled into his rhythm, Zverev was under pressure for the first time when Sinner made his point to open the match at 3-2. However, the Italian responded by throwing an ace down the line on his way to serve, then took advantage of a sloppy game from Zverev to take a 4-3 lead.

Sinner remained precise in serving until the end and closed his 83-minute victory with 83 (24/29) points after his first delivery overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He is the first Italian men’s singles finalist in BNP Paribas Open history and has now reached the championship match in all six Masters 1000 court tournaments.

“It was a game plan before the game, but it also depends on how I feel,” said Sinner, when asked about the different types in his position that he used to face Zverev’s big team. “I think that was the key today, I try to mix it up. Every game we face is very difficult, a tough test, so I’m happy to face him. It’s a game I’ve been looking forward to.”

With his run to the last four at Indian Wells, Zverev became just the fifth man to complete a set of semi-final appearances in all nine Masters 1000 events. However, the German will head to the Miami Open presented by Ita knowing he needs to find a way to break the code of Sinner, who now leads the Lexus ATP Head2Head series 7-4 after claiming his sixth straight victory against his rival.