Carlos Alcaraz happy with Casper Ruud’s win, continues to rewrite the Indian Wells record books | ATP Tour
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Alcaraz shines in Ruud’s win, continues to rewrite Indian Wells record books
World No. 1 will meet again with Norrie — the last player besides Sinner to beat him
March 11, 2026
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz is into his fifth quarter-final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Written by Jerome Coombe
Carlos Alcaraz continues to send strong signals on the ATP Tour in 2026, and his fourth-round victory over Casper Ruud on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open provided further proof.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings produced a composed and thrilling display to secure a 6-1, 7-6(2) victory and advance to the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive year. Alcaraz, a two-time champion on the hard court ATP Masters 1000, made a good start before holding on for a second set improvement from Ruud to go 6-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head match.
Welcome to Alcaraz School 👨🏫🪄 @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/xq2EJyZcOx
– ATP Tour (@atptour) March 11, 2026
“My first set was unplayable, to be honest,” Alcaraz said with a smile. “I’m very happy to play at that level. I’m very happy to go through and hopefully [I can] play at this level in the next round.
“I think I can be happy and happy, but I can change my mind and focus again. I try to play my best tennis in every point, but if the point deserves a smile, I have to do that. That’s what happened today. Casper played good points, and I should have enjoyed that. That’s why we both play tennis.”
With the 91-minute victory, Alcaraz extended his unbeaten streak to 15 matches in 2026, winning the Australian Open in January before adding another title at the ATP 500 event in Doha. Next up in the California desert is a meeting with another former champion, 2021 winner Cameron Norrie.
After being thrown in a comeback win against Arthur Rinderknech in the previous round, Alcaraz saw the need for a solid start from Ruud and quickly unleashed it. He delighted the crowd early on, producing two brave pitches in the third game before asserting his authority across the pitch.
Alcaraz took Ruud relentlessly from corner to corner with his sweeping groundstrokes, and used his clever variation to maintain constant pressure on the Norwegian. With the win, the Spaniard also became the first player to reach five Indian Wells quarterfinals before the age of 23.
Now standing between Alcaraz and the semi-finals will be Norrie, the latest player outside of the World No. 2 Jannik Sinner to defeat him. The Britons battled to a three-set victory when they met in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris last October.
Earlier on Wednesday, Norrie defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-2 to continue his strong record in Indian Wells. The 30-year-old has advanced to his fifth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, and fourth at the California tournament, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
