Carlos Alcaraz secured his maiden BNP Paribas Open title and reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking with a comfortable straight-set win over Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz dominated an in-form Medvedev, denying the Russian of a fourth consecutive title and ending his 19-match winning streak, for a 6-3, 6-2 victory that took just 72 minutes.
With the win, the 19-year-old has dethroned Novak Djokovic and claimed the No. 1 ranking for the second time in his career, something which he admitted ‘means a lot’.
‘’It means a lot to me. To recover the No. 1 [ranking] is crazy for me," Alcaraz said after the match.
"But especially to lift the trophy here for me means a lot... I love this tournament. I really enjoy my time here and of course I felt the love from the people from day one.
‘’For me, it's amazing to complete these 10 days like this.’’
Alcaraz didn’t drop a single set during the tournament, meaning he’s the first man to do so and win the title in six matches since Rafael Nadal in 2007.
Additionally, with his win at the Miami Open last year, Alcaraz has become the ninth and youngest male tennis player to win both parts of the Sunshine Double in his career.
The Spaniard revealed the win has given him confidence ahead of the Miami Open.
‘’Of course winning a tournament, it gives you a lot of confidence [going into Miami]," Alcaraz added.
‘’I'm playing great. Of course, today, the conditions today were pretty tough. Of course, Daniil didn't play at his best, obviously.
‘’All I can say is I'm really happy with my performance, the way that I [was] playing this tournament. I'm looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.’’
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