The two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz remained perfect in 2026 with his fourth-round win over 6-1, 7-6(2) and advanced to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells Open for the fifth straight year. The 22-year-old seven-time major champion is bidding to become one of four players to have won three or more Indian Wells singles titles this century, and he is now one of four players to have reached five consecutive quarterfinals in the California desert.
Additionally, he is the first man to reach five quarterfinals here before turning 23. Alcaraz set the tone with a break in the first game of the match, then further excited the crowd with a quintessential Alcaraz moment: a devilish topspin lob, taken out of the air, that had Ruud scratching his head just over ten minutes into the match.
The Norwegian netted a forehand moments later and took a dejected walk to his chair, now trailing 3-0 in the first set. The rest of the opening set went without resistance. Ruud rose to the challenge in the second. The three-time major finalist brought some of his own electricity to the big stage on Wednesday.
He rifled a jaw-dropping forehand passing shot to level the set at three-all. The Norwegian made it all the way through the set without facing a break point, but Alcaraz turned on the style in the tiebreak, making several winners for the highlight reel as he raced to victory.
Alcaraz will face 2021 champion Cam Norrie in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Meanwhile, two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev also continued his winning ways in Tennis Paradise, notching a 6-2, 6-4 win over 21-year-old American Alex Michelsen to reach the quarterfinals.
Medvedev, who fell to Alcaraz in the 2023 and 2024 finals, will face either Novak Djokovic or Jack Draper in the quarterfinals. The 29-year-old, fresh off winning the Dubai title, stretched his current winning streak to seven with an imperious performance in Stadium 2.