Indian Wells, the semi-final Sinner-Alcaraz 2-1 LIVE Match interrupted due to rain
The rain arrived in Indian Wells and the semifinal of the Masters 1000 between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was suspended at the end of the third game of the first set with the score 2-1 for the South Tyrolean. The chair umpire first suspended the game, keeping the players on the pitch, then after a few minutes he decided to send the players to the locker rooms to wait for the weather conditions to improve.
This evening, not only the Indian Wells final is up for grabs: the challenge between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, rivals and friends, an expression of the new advance in world tennis, is worth the number 2 place in the ATP ranking. Alcaraz already holds it, Sinner is undermining it. Whoever wins takes it and brings Djokovic closer, who won’t be there in Miami.
Sinner comes to the challenge with Alcaraz on the strength of 16 wins out of 16 in 2024 (19 in a row in total) which opened with the triumph in Melbourne. The Spaniard is improving after a more complicated start to the season. And today’s challenge is also the rematch of last year’s final where the Murcian triumphed.
To reach the semifinals, Alcaraz also had to overcome the attack of the Indian Wells bees, who colonized the Centrale’s spidercam and created moments of embarrassment mixed with fear, before beating Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-1. “It was the strangest match played in my career – the Spaniard’s words in the press conference – Nothing like this had ever happened to me. I was serving in the third game and I noticed a few bees, but I didn’t think there were thousands. Instead shortly after they found them on me, in my hair, everywhere. One stung me. I tried to keep them away, but there were too many.
Impossible. So I was forced to flee quickly. I’m afraid of bees.” Despite this, and despite the disinfestation and the two returning to the field after almost two hours, as soon as it was time to get serious Alcaraz quickly forgot about the matter and took out his best tennis.
Sinner and Alcaraz will compete for the ninth time (also counting the previous one at Challenger level) and the current balance says 4-4. But the South Tyrolean won the last two matches, last year in Miami and then in Beijing, and since then he seems to have grown further while Alcaraz seems to be going through a stalemate after the very rapid explosion between 2022 and 2023. “I don’t know how I will take up the challenge – added the Spaniard – he is undoubtedly the best player in the world at the moment. He is playing incredible tennis and in 2024 he has not yet lost a match. I really like to see him play. Awaiting me – he added – is very difficult match and a great challenge, to understand what level I am at compared to him. In the last two matches with Jannik I lost, so I will have to try to modify some aspects of my game.
We’ll see if it’s enough. The most difficult match of my 2024 season certainly awaits me.”
The hero of the Indian Wells evening was undoubtedly Lance Davis, of Killer Bee Live Removal (who also has his own TV show on the Earth TV channel). It was, he said, “a small swarm, about 3,500 bees” which he then took away from the stadium’s spider cam and transferred it to one of his approximately 200 hives.
Meanwhile, Sinner continues his march and after the quarterfinal match won against the Czech Lehecka he reiterated that he has the impression of improving match after match and that he feels very comfortable on the pitch: “There isn’t a big difference compared to the past from a mental point of view. I’m just happy to compete. I love playing in front of the crowd, and that’s what makes me enjoy it. I’m definitely in a different position now, but I’m happy to challenge myself every time. In my mind there’s it’s always a new challenge, a new opponent: I have to be very careful, that’s what I try to focus on.”
“It’s always fun to play against Carlos – Sinner said yesterday – We are good friends but on the pitch we just try to give 100% and usually good matches come out. Last year against him, especially here on this pitch, I I struggled a lot and he played much better than me. But then two weeks later in Miami I beat him. It’s like that between us. Our rivalry pushed us to grow and improve.”
Video Sinner beats Lehecka, is in the semifinals at Indian Wells
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