Carlos Alcaraz makes light work of opening opponent at Indian Wells

By SABC Sport
9th March 2025

Carlos Alcaraz cruised to a 6-4 6-2 win against France's Quentin Halys to get his Indian Wells title defence underway.

Alcaraz has won the last two editions of the Indian Wells tournament, but he expressed his surprise that a new surface had been laid for this year's event.

Despite those doubts, Alcaraz showed no signs of nerves or uncertainty as he blasted his way through to the third round and backed up his status as the favourite to win once again in the Californian desert.

"I feel at home," he said after his 13th straight win in Indian Wells.

"I feel really calm off court. That's important to show good tennis on the court. The conditions and the court are good for me. I love it here. The fans have always been good to me. I appreciate that love and support.

"I was really nervous, it wasn't easy to control the emotions. I had to be focused to calm down, to take control of the nerves and try and play good tennis. I think it did pretty well. I'm really happy to get through and start the title defence."

When asked whether the conditions this year are different than they were a year ago, he added: "It's slow. It bounces a lot. Off the court is also really important for me."

With top seed Alexander Zverev crashing out in his first match at Indian Wells on Friday, the chance is there for Alcaraz to claim another Indian Wells title and this performance was a statement of intent as he set up a third round clash against a resurgent Denis Shapovalov.

Alcaraz saved the only break point he faced against Halys, who arrived in Indian Wells on the back of the best performance of his career as he reached the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai last week.

Yet Halys has no answer to Alcaraz's pace and power and the win ensured he notched his 30th win in the 'Sunshine Double' tournaments that are staged in Indian Wells and Miami each March.

Since 1990, Alcaraz at 21 years and 309 days is now the second-youngest player to claim 30 singles match wins in Indian Wells and Miami, with only compatriot Rafael Nadal at 21 years and 304 days bettering his record.

Alcaraz continues to set records and another Indian Wells title would push him closer to the world No 2 ranking currently held by Zverev and he will be keen to claim that position ahead of the French Open.