Carlos Alcaraz has sealed his spot in the semi-finals at the BNP Paribas Open after crushing Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 7-6 in the quarterfinal. The Spaniard won consecutive titles at the Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024. With this win, Alcaraz has etched his name in the exclusive list with the Grand Slam champions Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals or better at Indian Wells four or more years back-to-back.
But the match against Cerundolo wasn’t a cakewalk for the World No 1. The Argentine played at an extremely high level. Alcaraz used his speed to race all over the court, chasing down balls to get his points up. And Cerundolo volleyed the ball back, matching the defending champion’s shot-for-shot.
The quarterfinal between Alcaraz and Cerundolo was a thrill for fans who braved dropping temperatures and swirling wind – their money’s worth as stated by commentator Paul Annacone. He described Alcaraz at play saying “It’s like a magic wand in the young man’s hand, mixing the touch with power at the right moment.”
Alcaraz said it was a tough game and the conditions were more colder and windy.
Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-1, Into The Quarterfinals: Indian Wells 2025
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Francisco Cerundolo: A Tit-for-Tat Match
In the first set, Carlos Alcaraz held serve and saved all six break points. And in the second set, the 21-year-old went up a break before his opponent finally converted a break point to even the score. The two held on and went into a tie break. Alcaraz showed his skills in the tiebreak, jumping out to a 3-1 lead, then 4-2 and 5-2.
Cerundolo made it 5-4 with next two points, but Alcaraz came on stronger 6-4. The Spaniard will face Jack Draper, No 13 seed, on Saturday.
