Avenger Alcaraz in last-8, Sinner remains perfect

Indian Wells, March 13

Carlos Alcaraz beat Fabian Marozsan to avenge his loss to the Hungarian at the Italian Open last year, while Jannik Sinner won his 18th straight match as both players cruised into the Indian Wells quarterfinals with straight-set victories on Tuesday.

Alcaraz never looked in any trouble against Marozsan, pounding forehands and confidently holding serve to take another step towards defending his title in the California desert with a 6-3 6-3 win.

“Honestly I was nervous before the match, I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said.

The two-time Grand Slam winner is on course for a possible collision with Australian Open champion Sinner in the semifinals but will first need to get past Alexander Zverev. The big-serving German sixth seed wore down Australian Alex de Minaur in a 5-7 6-2 6-3 victory.

Sinner shaded a tight first set against American Ben Shelton in windy conditions and met with little resistance in the second, securing a 7-6(4) 6-1 win to maintain his perfect record in 2024.

In the women’s section, top seed Iga Swiatek swatted aside Yulia Putintseva 6-1 6-2 to set up a last-8 clash with former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Wozniacki eased past fellow mother Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-2 earlier in the day. — Reuters