Sinner’s positive streak continues in Indian Wells: he is in the semifinals and wants to get on the podium with consecutive victories

Jannik Sinner remains unstoppable. The 22-year-old Italian, third in the world ranking and the best of all so far in 2024, defeated the Czech Jiri Lehecka (32nd) doubled 6-3 in an hour and 24 minutes of play and continued with an overwhelming pace.

In this way he qualified for the semi-finals of the Indian Wells 1000 Masters and remains undefeated in the year with sixteen consecutive victories, after winning his first Grand Slam title in Australia and winning the ATP 500 in Rotterdam.

Only tennis legends like it Novak Djokovic with 41 victories in 2011, Rafael Nadal (20 in 2022), Roger Federer (17 in 2018) e Pietro Sampras (17 in 1997) surpass that record at the start of a season, but Sinner is the youngest to do so.

Furthermore, in only three of those 16 matches did he lose sets: against Djokovic and Medvedev in the semifinals and final in Melbourne and against Monfils in the round of 16 in Rotterdam.

“It was a complicated match because this morning it was very windy, but then the situation was different. Jiri has huge potential and I am very happy with my performance. This is one of the best tournaments on the circuit, so I am very happy to be able to play in the semi-finals again”, said the leader of the competition after the meeting.

In the next case, last year’s semifinal duel could be reprinted, when Sinner, then 12th in the world, lost to Carlos Alcaraz by 7-6 and 6-3. First of all, before a new confrontation between the two great young talents of the ATP circuit, the Spaniard will have to leave Alexander Zverev who beat him at the Australian Open.

At the top of the table, the first to qualify for the semi-finals is the local team Tommy Paolo who beat Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-2, 1-6 and 6-3, and wait Daniil Medvedev or Holger Rune, those tasked with ending the day in the California desert.