Carlos Alcaraz defeated Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals at the Indian Wells Open, earning praise from former coach Brad Gilbert. Daniil Medvedev overcame Jack Draper 6-1, 7-5 in a match marked by a controversial hindrance call. The winners will face off in the semifinals on March 14.
Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at the 2026 Indian Wells Open by beating Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, which lasted one hour and 33 minutes. The Spaniard, who has lost only one set in four matches, landed 75% of his first serves but dropped serve twice while breaking Norrie four times out of ten opportunities. Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head 6-3 and has extended his unbeaten streak to 16 matches this year, following titles at the Australian Open and in Qatar.
Brad Gilbert, who coached Coco Gauff from 2023 to 2024 and parted ways in September 2025, watched the match courtside and posted on X: “Was just out courtside watching Escape from Alcaraz, his variety and change of pace of shots is simply off the charts.” Alcaraz's path included wins over Grigor Dimitrov (6-2, 6-3), Arthur Rinderknech (6-7, 6-3, 6-2), and Casper Ruud (6-1, 7-6). He described Norrie's style as challenging: “I struggle a lot with his style. Every time I play against him it’s always really tough for me. It’s a little bit confusing with his style, his [heavy] topspin forehand, super high. And then the backhand, really flat and really low. Sometimes it’s tricky to play against him. I’m finding the right shot. I played well. I played solid. I played aggressive when I could. I’m happy to play this level.” This marks Alcaraz's fifth consecutive semifinal at Indian Wells.
In the other quarterfinal, Daniil Medvedev defeated defending champion Jack Draper 6-1, 7-5. The match featured controversy late in the second set at 5-5, 0-15, when Draper raised his arms thinking a shot was out during a rally. After winning the point, Medvedev claimed hindrance, and the chair umpire, Aurélie Tourte, overturned the decision, awarding the point to him. Draper said: “I don’t think I did enough to hinder him, but at the end of the day, I did make a slight thing with my hands. On one hand, I get it, but on the other, I don’t think it was enough to distract Daniil.” Medvedev responded: “Was I distracted big time? No. Was I distracted a bit? Yes. Is it enough to win the point? I don’t know. ... Do I feel good about it? Not really, but I also don’t feel like I cheated. I let the referee decide.”
Draper had upset Novak Djokovic in the previous round. Medvedev, who won titles in Brisbane and Dubai this year, reaches his fourth consecutive semifinal at Indian Wells. He leads Alcaraz 2-6 in their head-to-head but has lost the last four meetings. The winner will face either Alexander Zverev or Jannik Sinner in the final on March 16.
