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2 min readMar 12, 2026 01:05 PM IST
Carlos Alcaraz reacts after winning his first-ever Australian Open title. (Photo: AP)
Carlos Alcaraz reached the round of 16 at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 on Monday but needed two hours and 18 minutes to beat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-2, coming from a set and a break down to do so.
The world number one and top seed was troubled throughout by Rinderknech, ranked 28th, whose powerful serve, strong return game and effective net approaches allowed the Frenchman to control large stretches of the match. Rinderknech won a tight first set in a tiebreak after leading 5-2, and broke again at the start of the second before Alcaraz hit back immediately to level at 1-1, a reaction he said gave him the momentum to turn the match around.
Speaking to the press afterwards, the 22-year-old Spaniard said he was increasingly frustrated by the pattern of opponents raising their game against him.
“Sometimes I get tired of feeling like I’m playing against Roger Federer in every round,” he told reporters, as reported by Clarin. “Sometimes it seems like everyone is playing at an incredibly high level. If they played at that level in every match, they should be much higher in the rankings. It’s something that worries me and that I think about when I’m playing.”
“I feel like I have a target on my back. The only thing I can do is accept it, move on, and try to do different things during the match — try to impose my style, my tennis, my level,” Alcaraz added.
He was also candid about the first set. “I was a little angry with myself because I had several break points, even a set point, and I couldn’t take them. I felt I had let big opportunities go. But I accepted it, tried to stay mentally strong and keep fighting. I knew I would have more chances.”
He also acknowledged a twisted right ankle during the second set, though played down its significance after the match.
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The victory extended Alcaraz’s unbeaten run in 2026, following his Australian Open title and the ATP 500 in Doha. He has won Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024 and reached the semi-finals last year.
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