Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak ended with a three-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday at the Indian Wells Masters, with the ‘grateful’ Italian already starting to analyze how to get better.
Spain’s Alcaraz, the defending champion at the prestigious ATP-WTA Masters event, recovered after dropping the first set to claim a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Sinner.
Not only that, he secured his place back in the final and held off Sinner’s bid to claim world number two for the first time.
Sinner, who started the year with a 16-match winning streak including his first Grand Slam title and victory in Rotterdam, said he was not too worried about the end of a winning streak that stretched back to last year.
“I don’t think much about it,” said the 22-year-old. “I’ve always been positive throughout this winning streak, positive even now, because, I lost in the semi-finals at Indian Wells, which is still a good result.
“Now, the next tournament is Miami. So I’m already focused on Miami. Of course it’s difficult that it has to end like this here, because for me this is a very special place to play, but I feel grateful for what I did.”
Also read: Carlos Alcaraz Edges Out Jannik Sinner in Epic Battle in the Semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters
The Sinners came out strong after a three-hour rain delay that halted play after just three games.
He won four straight games to take the first set, but Alcaraz made the necessary adjustments to take control in the second set.
“You’re always impressed when you play against him,” Sinner said.
Also read: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner match in Indian Wells semifinals continues after rain delay
“He moves very, very fast, as we know. Especially on this pitch where the ball bounces very high, it’s not easy to play against him, because he can play with a lot of spin.
“But what I missed today (was) that I was too predictable at some points,” added Sinner.
“I did the same thing over and over again, which in my mind disappointed me… I think that’s the lesson for today.”
Also read: Carlos Alcaraz was stung by a bee in the middle of his match against Zverez at Indian Wells
Despite the result, Sinner said he was happy to play against Alcaraz on such a big stage.
“Full stadium. Two young players trying their best. It’s fun,” he said.
One messy rally saw Sinner dive to return the ball. He got up shaking his right arm and rubbing his elbow.
“At this moment, I feel a little bit of everything in my body,” he said with a smile. “But that’s normal.
“When I fell, I felt my elbow a little because I fell on my elbow and I rolled. So after that it was difficult for me to serve.” (AFP/Z-3)
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