TENNIS: Alcaraz sets up Medvedev Indian Wells semi-final, Sabalenka and Rybakina advance

World number one Carlos Alcaraz surged past Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Indian Wells semifinals, where he will face Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev advanced after ending Jack Draper’s title defense with a 6-1, 7-5 win following a controversial umpiring call.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka also secured her place in the women’s semifinals with a 7-6(0), 6-4 victory over 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek was upset by Elina Svitolina, falling 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Alcaraz Remains Unbeaten in 2026

Australian Open champion Alcaraz improved his record to 16-0 this year with a strong performance against Norrie in the final match of the evening. Despite briefly trailing 0-2 in the second set, the Spaniard quickly regained momentum to claim the win and stay on course for his third Indian Wells title.

"It was really difficult, I struggled with Cameron's style," Alcaraz said. "His forehand has super top-spin and his backhands are flat, so it's tricky to play against him and find the correct shots. I played solid and aggressive when I could, and I'm happy to be at this level."

Medvedev Advances After Controversy

Russian 11th seed Medvedev showed impressive form against Draper, who had little time to recover after his stunning three-set win over Novak Djokovic on Wednesday. Draper stayed competitive up to 5-5 in the second set, but Medvedev claimed a late break following a controversial hindrance call from chair umpire Aurelie Tourte.

During the point, Draper believed the ball had gone out, but Medvedev claimed he was distracted by Draper’s raised arm. The umpire awarded Medvedev the point, sparking jeers from the crowd.

"Was I distracted big time? No. Do I feel good about it? Not really," Medvedev said. "But I also don't feel like I cheated or something. I let it go and let the umpire decide."

Zverev Joins Elite ATP Club

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev defeated Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semifinals for the first time at Indian Wells and become only the fifth man to make the last four at all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. He will face world number two Jannik Sinner, who advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Learner Tien.

Svitolina Stuns Swiatek

World number two Swiatek struggled early against Svitolina, with the Ukrainian capitalizing on five double faults to take the first set in just 38 minutes. Swiatek forced a decider in the second set, but Svitolina secured the only break in a tight third set and confidently closed out the match, reaching the semifinals for the first time in seven years.

Sabalenka Battles to Semifinals

Sabalenka faced a tough first set against Mboko, eventually winning a career-first tiebreak 7-0. The second set was equally challenging, with Mboko pushing the top seed to 5-4 before Sabalenka held firm to secure victory.

"She's a future Grand Slam champion," Sabalenka said. "It's incredible to see how brave these young girls are these days."

Sabalenka will play Linda Noskova, who defeated Australian qualifier Talia Gibson 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to reach her second WTA 1000 semifinal.

Rybakina Advances

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina advanced to another Indian Wells semifinal with a 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Jessica Pegula. Rybakina will face Svitolina and is set to rise to a career-high world number two in the updated WTA rankings on Monday.

-Reporting by Angelica Medina and Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City and Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Peter Rutherford/Reuters