Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz Preview & Prediction | 2024 Indian Wells Open | Semi-Final
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THE FACTS
What is this tournament classed as in terms of ranking points? ATP 1000
When is Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz on and what time does it start? Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz will take place on Saturday 16th March, 2024 – not before 20:30 (UK)
Where is Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz taking place? Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, USA
What surface is Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz being played on? Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz
What channel is Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz on in the UK? Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz will be televised live on Sky Sports in the UK
Where can I stream Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz in the UK? Sky Sports subscribers can stream Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz live on Sky Go, while Tennis TV subscribers can also stream the match live
THE LOWDOWN
This promises to be one of the best matches of the season with plenty on the line in the ninth edition of the era to come’s defining rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Not only will the winner of this match come into the Indian Wells final, likely to face Daniil Medvedev, as the favourite given Sinner’s form and Alcaraz’ victory over Medvedev here 12 months ago, but they will guarantee a place at world number two in the ATP rankings – Alcaraz remaining or Sinner for the first time.
The pair have wonderfully differing games on court, which make for the best, most lingering rivalries in sport, but very little to separate them in legacy so far with Alcaraz leading 2-1 in Grand Slam titles but Sinner very much on the ascendency after claiming his first in Melbourne in January. Sinner won each of their last two meetings, en-route to the Miami final last March where he lost to the aforementioned Medvedev and then again in Beijing where he beat the Russian to lift the title, but Alcaraz won their semi-final here almost exactly to the day last season at the peak of his powers.
THE PREDICTION
The pair share a 4-4 overall head-to-head but Sinner leads 4-3 at tour-level and you could argue that it is 4-2 since their first really representative meeting in the round of 16 at Wimbledon two years ago, one of the best matches this decade at a time when both were rapidly evolving into the fully-fledged world-beaters they are today. Furthermore, Sinner takes a remarkable 21-match winning streak into this blockbuster and his titanium victories over Novak Djokovic and Medvedev to lift the Australian Open title in January set out his stall as the best player in the world right now. Having said all that, Alcaraz has been struggling to find his free-flowing best since that era-defining win over Djokovic at Wimbledon but there have been encouraging signs this fortnight – with a swarm of bees the Spaniard’s tougher opponent in a match against world number six Alexander Zverev on Thursday.
It is very difficult to suggest what could happen here at Indian Wells with its unique conditions probably favouring the defending champion who, at his best, looked too hot to handle for the previous version of Jannik Sinner. The Italian brings as much as he can into this clash to suggest he is the favourite and yet Alcaraz’ star quality is his slightly wayward - and often absent – but totally insatiable top gear. The crowd will likely be split for the first set before pulling for the charismatic Spaniard and he will be desperate to be the one to snap his rival’s streak. Back Alcaraz to earn at least a set, as he has in six of their seven tour-level encounters to Sinner’s five out of seven, to leave the result of a thrilling clash up to chance. If an arm was to be twisted, this feels like Alcaraz’s day to return from a long slumber.
TIP: CARLOS ALCARAZ TO WIN A SET
