Carlos Alcaraz had to work hard this Monday to defeat the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in three sets and more than two hours and reach the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells (United States), where the Norwegian Casper Ruud awaits him.
Alcaraz, world number 1 and two-time champion in California, beat Rinderknech (n.28) por 6(6)-7, 6-3 y 6-2 in two hours and 18 minutes of intense match.
Rindernek and Alcaraz had faced each other five times to date, with five victories for the Murcian. But the Frenchman was always an uncomfortable rival, with a fierce serve, a daring rest and with a good climb to the net.
In the desert, Rinderknech brought out his best tricks and imposed his rhythm for much of the duel. Alcaraz’s undefeated record in 2026 seemed to be in danger at times.
They played a very even first set, which opened Rinderknech to serve, with two ‘aces’ in that first game that were a declaration of intentions.
Alcaraz and Rinderknech were very solid on serve: the Murcian only conceded three break balls, while the Frenchman only gave up two, all of them saved.
Samuel López, coach of Alcaraz, I advised him from the stands to concentrate in the rest and would seek to go up to the net in search of volleys to find solutions to the challenges that his rival was posing.
The set ended in a tie-break in which Rinderknech took a 5-2 lead with two mini-breaks. Alcaraz reacted with four consecutive points to go 5-6 and set point, but the Frenchman knew how to recover to end up scoring that set.
Chip change
The strength of both men’s serve was broken in the second set: Rinderknech broke in the first game of the set, but Alcaraz responded immediately with a break to restore equality.
That exchange of ‘breaks’ awakened the beast within Alcaraz, who until then had been seen smiling very little. The Murcian adjusted his position to the rest and signed a second break in the third game on Rinderknech’s serve to go up 4-2, an advantage with which he forced the third set.
Alcaraz broke the serve Rinderknech in the first game of that third set. He made it 2-0 at serve with a blank game. The Murcian finally found his rhythm, paving the way for the inevitable.
He added a second break to make it 4-1, a double break that took him to the finish line. 14-0 so far in 2026 for Alcaraz.
Second serve points ended up being key for Alcaraz, who scored 52% compared to Rinderknech’s 39%. Furthermore, the Murcian committed only 18 unforced errors, compared to 26 for the Frenchman.
“For me, it was really, really difficult. I got into trouble, to be honest. But I’m very happy with the way I dealt with everything that was happening,” he explained in statements at the foot of the track.
In the round of 16, Alcaraz will face the Norwegian Casper Ruud (n.13)who this same Monday got rid of the Monegasque Valentin Vacherot (n.26) by 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4.
Of the six times they have met, Alcaraz has won five, including the finals of the US Open and the 2022 Miami Masters 1,000.
