Daniil Medvedev upsets Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells semifinals

Earlier this week at Indian Wells, a reporter from Brazil informed Daniil Medvedev that some in Brazilian tennis circles refer to him as “Malvadao,” which in Portuguese is interpreted as “villain” or “the bad guy.”

Medvedev immediately embraced it, responding, “I guess on court I am. In life, I’m not at all this guy. I guess on court I can be an antihero many times.”

In his next match, on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, Medvedev backed that up with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in front of a crowd just shy of 16,000 on Stadium Court.

The win spoiled a potential match-up between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the top two players in the world who have split the last nine Grand Slam titles.

Medvedev, the 11th seed in the draw, played a nearly-flawless first set. He went up an early break and held serve throughout the match, in spite of several highlight reel forehand shots by Alcaraz.

“Every time I step on the court,” Medvedev said, “I need to feel like I can win. The serve saved me a couple of times.”

Medvedev, who at 6-foot-6 is the tallest player to ever be the No. 1 player in the world, had commentators in awe.

“This is unbelievable,” retired Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said on the Tennis Channel broadcast. Courier added that this was “the best version of Medvedev I’ve ever seen.”

Alcaraz went up a break in the fourth game of the second set, with the crowd mostly behind him. But Medvedev answered back after keeping multiple rallies alive with his size, length and underrated quickness.

[More: Jannik Sinner beats Alexander Zverev in the other men’s semifinal]

Medvedev then saved a break point and held on to even the set at 4-4. Alcaraz desperately chased every ball in the next game, understanding that the match largely depended on it.

In the 10th game, with Alcaraz leading 5-4, Medvedev saved a set point, then another. He then fired off an ace and won a point with a north-south sprint to the net to hold serve.

In the tiebreaker, Alcaraz scored the first point before Medvedev scored the next six, with the Russian getting points off of both of Alcaraz’s first serves.

“This tennis has just been jaw-dropping,” Courier said during the tiebreaker.

Throughout the match, Alcaraz fist pumped after big points. But Medvedev was emotionless. Like a machine.

Alcaraz had won the last four matches between the two and had won 18 of his last 19 semifinal matches. The only blip was here last year against Great Britain’s Jack Draper, who eventually won the Indian Wells title.

There were a number of celebrities in attendance at the match. Grammy winner Dua Lipa and actor and Lipa’s fiancé Callum Turner sat together in a luxury box. Oscar winner Charlize Theron and retired Grand Slam champion Andre Aggasi were also among those watching from a box.

While some may have been surprised by Medvedev’s win, the win wasn’t especially stunning. Medvedev won a title in Dubai prior to his arrival in Indian Wells, and he won a title in Brisbane in January.

Still, the loss was the first of the year for Alcaraz, who had started the season with 16 consecutive wins and titles in Doha and at the Australian Open.

Alcaraz was vying to become just the sixth player to win three titles at Indian Wells, joining Novak Djokovic (5), Roger Federer (5), Rafael Nadal (3), Michael Chang (3) and Jimmy Connors (3).

Medvedev and Sinner have never won a title at Indian Wells. Medvedev leads the all-time series between the two, 8-7.

“I’m playing great right now,” Medvedev said, “and hopefully you guys can enjoy the final.”

[This story has been updated to add new information.]

Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and USA TODAY. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Daniil Medvedev upsets Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells semifinals