Sports

MIAMI, Florida — Former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the last-16 of the Miami Open on Sunday with straight sets victories at Hard Rock Stadium.

Sabalenka’s power was simply too much for Czech Marie Bouzkova, with the Belarussian breaking serve twice in the opening set on the way to a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Any chance of a comeback from Bouzkova vanished when she was broken in the opening game of the second set and Sabalenka was in no danger on her serve, not facing break point at any time in the 66 minute encounter.

“There were really great things from me,” said an upbeat Sabalenka.

“I felt like everything I was doing was right and I am super happy with the level,” she added.

Sabalenka had been hampered by a groin injury in her previous match, receiving medical attention and wincing at moments in her win over Shelby Rogers, but she said the injury, while not resolved, had improved.

“We are working on that. I would say I have the best team and I really trust them and believe that they can fix it. It definitely felt much better,” she said.

“My team did everything to make sure that I am not focusing on the leg and I am focusing on the match,” she added.

Player reborn

Andreescu, who returned last year after a seven month ‘mental health break’ looks a player reborn and she oozed confidence as she enjoyed a 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Sofia Kenin.

The 22-year-old Andreescu, the 2019 US Open winner, has been impressive so far having beaten Emma Raducanu and World No. 10 Maria Sakkari in the previous rounds.

In a match with few rallies, Andreescu dominated with her serve game, with a 70 per cent first serve percentage and it was not until mid-way through the second set that Kenin caused any real problems.

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner, broke Andreescu to cut the lead to 4-3 but despite the improved forehand from the Floridian, Andreescu kept her cool and won with her first match point.

“These victories are definitely very sweet and I’ve had many tough matches against Sofia, so it feels really good to get through,” said Andreescu who converted all three of her break points.

“I definitely feel like I am getting better match by match, even physically. Like I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling very fresh,” she added.

Andreescu will face Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round after she beat World No. 9 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 7-6 (10/8), 6-3.

In a good day for Russian women, qualifier Varvara Gracheva reached her second straight WTA 1000 fourth round with a straightforward 6-1, 6-2 win over Polish lucky loser Magdalena Frech.

The 22-year-old Gracheva also made it to the last 16 as a qualifier at Indian Wells.

There will also be a strong Czech presence in the fourth round with Petra Kvitova, Barbara Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova all winning on Sunday.

Two-times Wimbledon winner Kvitova beat Donna Vekic 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), surviving a strong effort from the Croat in the second set.

“She was always coming back after a [service] break, and it wasn’t really easy already in the first set. ... It was very difficult, she played very well, she served very well,” said Kvitova.

Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open winner, beat American Madison Keys 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 and will face Sabalenka next while Vondrousova beat out-of-form compatriot Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-2

Romanian Sorana Cirstea made it to the fourth round in Miami for the first time in a decade after beating Czech Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1.

The 32-year-old, now coached by Swedish former Australian Open winner Thomas Johansson, is enjoying a mini-revival after also reaching the same stage in Indian Wells this month.

LOS ANGELES — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets made a statement on Saturday, downing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 129-106 in a battle of NBA conference leaders.

In a game touted as a potential NBA Finals preview, two-time and reigning NBA MVP Jokic scored 31 points, handed out 11 assists and pulled down six rebounds, and the Nuggets held East leaders Milwaukee to 40 second-half points with the kind of dominant defensive display they’ve been accused of lacking this season.

Jamal Murray, who made five three-pointers and scored 26 points for Denver, said it all started on the defensive end — and not just in a third quarter in which the Nuggets out-scored the Bucks 34-19.

“I thought we played great defence all game,” Murray said.

“We had a good start, even though they went on a run I thought we were consistent all game with our defence and we found transition points.”

Antetokounmpo, who won MVP honours for two straight years before Jokic, scored 31 points, but just seven in the second half.

He was a force at the rim before the interval, finishing with five dunks, although the dunk that reverberated through Ball Arena was 36-year-old Nuggets veteran Jeff Green’s slam over Antetokounmpo to open the fourth quarter.

“They just had us in the second half,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, whose team was coming off a lopsided victory in Salt Lake City in a tough high-altitude back-to-back.

The third quarter was pivotal in Miami, where the Brooklyn Nets out-scored the Heat 39-18 in the period, on the way to a 129-100 victory that moved them past Miami and into sixth place in the East.

Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, Cam Johnson scored 23 and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 15 for Brooklyn, who snapped a five-game losing streak to at least temporarily put themselves in position for direct entry to the play-offs.

Max Strus scored 23 points off the bench for Miami, but was scoreless in the second half. Tyler Herro scored 23, but the Heat had no answer as the Nets started warming up late in the second quarter.

Down by double digits early, the Nets cut the deficit to four at halftime and held Miami to 31 second-half points.

Categorically outplayed

Their 31-6 scoring run in the third quarter pushed them to a 104-87 lead going into the final period.

“We took a punch from them early on the road, we didn’t flinch, which was good,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn. “That third quarter was pretty impressive on both ends of the floor.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his team’s troubles started long before the third quarter.

“We just got categorically outplayed tonight,” Spoelstra concluded.

The Phoenix Suns snapped a three-game skid with a 125-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Devin Booker scored 29 points for Phoenix, who were tied midway through the third quarter.

They pulled away late, withstanding a 37-point performance from Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid added 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, who lost for the second time in as many days after falling at Golden State on Friday.

In other games, Kevin Huerter scored 27 points to lead the Sacramento Kings in a 121-113 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Domantas Sabonis scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his 60th double-double of the season for the Kings.

The New Orleans Pelicans drained 21 three-pointers in a 131-110 victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles

And the Atlanta Hawks maintained their hold on eighth place in the East with a 143-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

The Hawks held on for the victory after guard Trae Young was ejected during a timeout in the third quarter after he launched a ball at the referee in frustration at being called for an offensive foul.

John Collins scored 21 points to lead eight Hawks players in double figures.

MIAMI, Florida — Fourth seed Ons Jabeur crashed out of the Miami Open on Friday, losing her opening match to Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-2.

In another surprise, Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the former US Open winner now ranked 31st, overcame seventh seed Maria Sakkari of Greece 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, in a gruelling three-hour, three-minute battle in the early afternoon South Florida sun.

Romania’s Sorana Cirstea upset World No. 4 Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3 in a repeat of her Indian Wells win over the Frenchwoman last week.

But World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka got past American Shelby Rogers 6-4, 6-3, despite being hampered by what appeared to be a groin injury.

Tunisian Jabeur, beaten finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, has been working her way back from injury and on her return earlier this month went out in the third round at Indian Wells.

Jabeur underwent surgery after suffering a knee injury at the Australian Open, and subsequently missed the WTA Tour’s Middle East swing. 

She looked well short of her best against the 22-year-old Gracheva and had two medical visits during the one-hour 11-minute match. 

The win was the biggest scalp yet for Gracheva, who earlier this month reached her first WTA final, losing in Austin to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

“The plan was, of course like all matches, to be as stable as possible, to try to make her work as much points as possible, and of course wait for comfortable ones to attack,” Gracheva said after her third career win over a top 10 opponent.

“I’ve just probably caught this wave where I’m stable, where I always have a chance to play my game, be aggressive, cause troubles for the others by the game style. I’ve just got to try to keep rolling on this way,” she added.

Andreescu, the US Open winner in 2019, had eliminated Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the previous round and after losing the first set to Sakkari’s powerful stroke play, the Canadian settled into a solid pattern of steady returns, peppered with aggressive winners as she took control of the second set.

She took advantage of some loose play from Sakkari but was unable to convert on two match-points at the end, offering a glimmer of hope to her opponent, but finally grabbed the win when the Greek found the net.

“I felt like I was on my heels a lot of the time during the match, but I made every ball,” said Andreescu.

“I fought to the end, and I think I played the important points just a little bit better today. But it could have gone either way today,” she added.

Andreescu has now claimed three wins over top 10 opponents since returning to the tour last April from a six-month mental-health related hiatus.

Fearless Andreescu

“I think it’s just another step in gaining most of my confidence back,” said the Canadian.

“I’m feeling really good on the court. I’m trying to be as fearless as I can be. It’s not always easy, but I feel like I’m getting there, and wins like this obviously help,” she added.

France’s Garcia has suffered a slump in form since losing the final of the Monterrey Open in Mexico to Croatia’s Donna Vekic.

Once again it was the 74th ranked Cirstea who provided her downfall with the Romanian rewarded for her aggressive stroke play. 

Sabalenka needed lengthy medical treatment after being broken on the opening game of the second set against a determined Rogers and looked in discomfort throughout the rest of the match.

Despite the injury, Sabalenka was able to break back and see out the match and the Belarusian will face the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova next. 

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 win over China’s Wang Xinyu and her compatriot Barbora Krejcikova also enjoyed a straight sets win, 6-3, 6-2 against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovic.

PARIS — Three months on from agonising defeat in the World Cup final in Doha, France begins a new era with several veterans having retired and Kylian Mbappe handed the captain’s armband for the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

The aftermath of that loss on penalties to Argentina in Qatar has been turbulent, to say the least.

Off the field, a series of scandals brought down veteran French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet but not before he had agreed a deal for coach Didier Deschamps to remain in his job until 2026.

Not everyone in France agreed with the decision to extend the reign of a coach who has been in charge since 2012, especially as Zinedine Zidane is seen as an ideal successor.

On the pitch, the biggest name to bow out is goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who retired from international duty at the age of 36 and after over a decade as captain.

The Tottenham keeper became France’s most-capped player during the World Cup and his departure left Deschamps needing a new goalkeeper as well as a new skipper.

With long-term back-up goalkeeper Steve Mandanda also quitting, AC Milan’s Mike Maignan will take the gloves when France welcome The Netherlands to the Stade de France on Friday for their opening qualifier.

There was never any doubt about that, but there was some doubt over who would become captain, with Antoine Griezmann a contender.

Yet, it was impossible to ignore Mbappe, who showed himself to be a leader with his breathtaking hat-trick in the World Cup final. At 24, the Paris Saint-Germain forward could realistically skipper the side for a decade.

“Kylian ticked all the boxes to have that extra responsibility. But on the other hand it is nothing against Antoine who has always been an important player,” Deschamps said this week.

Olivier Giroud, France’s all-time record goal-scorer, is still there at 36. But Raphael Varane has retired, as has Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who missed the World Cup after succumbing to injury on the eve of the tournament.

“You can’t replace people who have been there for 10 years, you need time,” admitted Deschamps, who said he understood the decision of Manchester United centre-back Varane to step down at the age of 29.

“The demands of the highest level can lead to fatigue, whether that be physical or psychological,” said Deschamps, who himself quit playing entirely at 32.

Strength in depth

The luxury for Deschamps is that France’s conveyor belt of talent seems to be never-ending.

Varane’s retirement opened the door for Chelsea prospect Wesley Fofana to get a first call-up at 22.

He and Arsenal’s William Saliba both then pulled out injured, but the coach then turned to ex-Barcelona centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, now excelling at Nice.

In midfield, with 2018 World Cup winners Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante still struggling to recover full fitness, Deschamps has handed a deserved call-up to Khephren Thuram.

The 21-year-old Italy-born son of France legend Lilian Thuram has been rewarded for his outstanding form with Nice.

The marauding midfielder is the younger brother of Borussia Moenchengladbach forward Marcus, who is also in the squad.

Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is likely to play an increasingly important role for his country, and possibly at left-back as the 20-year-old did during the World Cup final.

The same applies to the Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani, who almost scored a dramatic extra-time winner late in the World Cup final.

No wonder Deschamps, now 54, wanted to stay through to the next World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, such is the talent at his disposal.

With France’s group also featuring the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar, and the top two going through to next year’s European Championship in Germany, qualification appears a formality.

But Deschamps, whose team face Ireland in Dublin next Monday, is taking nothing for granted.

“There is never any margin for error at the top level, but here we are going to have to be at our best right away,” he insisted.

“We need to be focused, obsessed even, on our aim of qualification. We must not think we have already qualified. We need to get back to reality.”

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz heads into this week’s Miami Open looking to defend both his title and top ranking and admitting even he has been surprised by his dizzying rise to the top of the sport.

A year ago, the 19-year-old came to Miami on the back of wins on clay in Croatia and Brazil and hoping to make his mark on the hard courts. His victory in South Florida launched a remarkable year.

The highlight was his US Open triumph which made him the youngest player to become World No. 1 and he returns to Miami after last week’s win in Indian Wells, achieved without dropping a set in the tournament.

“It’s all been very fast, when I got to Miami last year I was around No. 20 and a year later I am coming in with the No. 1 ranking. That is something very special. I fulfilled my dreams quicker than I expected,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Because of his victory in Miami last year, Alcaraz must win at the Florida event again if he is to hold on to his No. 1 spot, but he says he feels no pressure in that regard or to meet newly raised expectations.

“I don’t feel the pressure too much. I know the things I have to do. I need to play relaxed and not mind if I lose or if I play well or not,” he said.

“My goal is always the same. To feel comfortable on court. To enjoy playing tennis and try to have great thoughts when playing. That is why I am playing at a good level. I am enjoying every single second and playing relaxed. That is what I am thinking about on court,” he added.

‘You have to improve’

As at Indian Wells, World No. 2 Novak Djokovic is missing after being refused entry to the United States due to his lack of a COVID vaccine and Alcaraz says he misses the Serb’s presence, along with the injured Rafael Nadal.

“I’m a professional tennis player, but also I’m a huge fan of tennis and I always want to watch the best players in the world, like Rafa, like Djokovic,” he said.

“I played a couple of times against Rafa and I wish to play against him more and with Djokovic as well. I wish to play against him more times, you know, but obviously in every tournament I want them to be playing and I hope we get them back soon,” he said.

Far from feeling the weight of following in the footsteps of the “Big Three” of Djokovic, Nadal and the now retired Roger Federer, Alcaraz says he is trying to draw lessons from their successes.

“You have to improve, you have to get better every day. That’s why the big players, the Big Three, for example, did all through their careers — to improve every day a little bit,” he said.

Alcaraz can expect plenty of support from the crowd in Miami, which includes many Spanish-speaking fans.

“It’s so special to come back here and feel the same energy that I felt, for example, last year,” he said.

“I have great supporters here, a lot of people supporting me. I remember last year it was unbelievable you know, with the crowd. I feel like I am at home, you know,” he added.

The top seed will begin his title defence against Argentine Facundo Bagnis or a qualifier and could face two-time Miami champion and former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the third round.

Alcaraz said he was full of admiration for the Scotsman and recently told him in a message during Murray’s run to the final of the Qatar Open.

“Andy is a magnificent player, one of the Big Four,” said Alcaraz.

“It was amazing to watch him play and also learn from him away from the court. What he has done to return from surgery after they told him he would not play again, that is an inspiration for all of us,” he said.

PARIS — The Women’s Champions League knockout stage got underway on Tuesday with Chelsea and Arsenal both hoping to become the first English team to lift the trophy since the Gunners in 2007.

Back then, when Arsenal beat Umea of Sweden in the final, the tournament was still known as the UEFA Women’s Cup. It was only in 2009 that it was rebranded as the Champions League, with a group stage being introduced last season.

Chelsea and Arsenal showcased the increasing strength of the English Women’s Super League as they romped to top spot in their respective groups this season, with the Gunners notably thumping reigning European champions Lyon 5-1 away in France.

Arsenal, who earlier this month beat Chelsea 3-1 to win the English League Cup, this week face Bayern Munich and are hoping to avoid a second straight quarter-final exit at the hands of German opponents after going out to Wolfsburg last season.

Bayern are currently two points behind Wolfsburg at the top of the Frauen Bundesliga and the two legs of their tie against Arsenal fall either side of a crunch meeting with their rivals for the domestic title.

Chelsea, meanwhile, head to France to play a Lyon side who have won the Champions League in six of the last seven seasons, and a record eight times overall.

And yet Chelsea, who were beaten finalists in 2021, will not fear facing Sonia Bompastor’s team, for whom Norway star Ada Hegerberg is close to a comeback from a long injury absence.

After all, Emma Hayes’ team beat Paris Saint-Germain home and away in the group stage, keeping a clean sheet in both games.

The London side are currently top of the WSL, two points clear of Manchester United and Manchester City with a game in hand on each while Arsenal are five points behind the leaders in fourth.

In Australia’s Sam Kerr they have one of the most dangerous attacking players in the world, but Lyon are hoping to be a different proposition to the team outclassed by Arsenal in October.

A different Lyon?

“We had a lot of injuries around that time. It is not an excuse, we still have to beat the good teams, but I think we were struggling a bit in the beginning of the season,” Lyon’s Danish international forward Signe Bruun told AFP.

“We qualified and that was the most important and now we are starting from scratch.”

Bruun, who had a spell at Manchester United last season, believes the rising threat of English teams in Europe is no bad thing.

“It is very healthy for women’s football that there are so many teams that can compete for the Champions League. I think that is also an important part of the improvement for the women’s game,” she said.

“I think it will be more and more rare that the same team wins twice in a row.”

Barcelona nearly retained the title last season, returning to the final only to lose to Lyon in Turin.

Despite the ongoing absence of injured Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, they continue to crush all opponents in Spain and cruised through to the quarterfinals, where they will face Roma.

“Barcelona’s numbers are crazy, incredible,” said Roma coach Alessandro Spugna. “I have seen a lot of Barcelona and the more I watch them the fewer weaknesses I see.”

Wolfsburg, who have been to five finals in the last decade and won two, saw their hopes of advancing against PSG take a hit after Germany midfield star Lena Oberdorf was ruled out of Wednesday’s first leg with a knee sprain.

LOS ANGELES — Giannis Antetokounmpo bagged a triple-double and Brook Lopez delivered a huge fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks returned to winning ways with a 118-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

The Eastern Conference leaders, jolted by a lopsided loss to Indiana on Thursday, returned to form with a dogged come-from-behind win over the Raptors at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum.

Toronto led by eight near the end of the third quarter, but were overpowered down the stretch with Lopez scoring 17 of his 26 points in the final period to drag Milwaukee over the line.

Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Milwaukee improved to 51-20 at the top of the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games clear of the in-form Philadelphia 76ers.

Fred VanVleet led Toronto’s scorers with 23 points.

In other games on Sunday, Austin Reaves scored a career-high 35 points as the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from Friday’s agonising loss to Dallas to see off Orlando 111-105.

The Lakers, battling to remain in the hunt for a postseason berth in the Western Conference, were left shell-shocked after a buzzer-beating loss to the Mavs on Friday. 

It looked as if history might repeat itself on Sunday as the Magic closed to 101-101 with 2 minutes and 39 seconds remaining.

But Reaves took over by rattling in his team’s final 10 points to secure a win which lifted the Lakers into the play-in positions.

“It’s a good win,” Reaves said afterward. “Every win from now is crucial, and every game from now is crucial.

“It’s all about how we approach the game — if we’re locked in to what we need to do I feel like we’ve got the firepower to be one of the best teams in the league.”

In Portland, the Trail Blazers’ playoff push suffered a blow with a 117-102 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers never trailed throughout, with Paul George finishing with 29 points and Kawhi Leonard with 24 points. 

The loss leaves Portland in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 31-40 record, three spots outside the play-in places.

Elsewhere Sunday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder staged a second-half rally to eclipse Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 12-of-24 from the field while draining 16-of-19 free throws as Oklahoma City overturned a 15-point first-half deficit to complete a 124-120 victory.

The Thunder trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter but outscored Phoenix 34-24 in the final frame — with Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 10 points — to grab victory.

The win boosts Oklahoma City’s play-off hopes, with the Thunder improving to 35-36 in the Western Conference for eighth place. 

Only a handful of games separate a swath of teams jostling for the postseason in the West, where Phoenix remain in fourth place with a 38-33 record.

Phoenix, meanwhile, were sparked by 46 points from Booker but saw only three other players break into double figures after a steely OKC defensive display in the second half.

In other games on Sunday, Nikola Jokic’s 28th triple-double of the season helped the Denver Nuggets take a 108-102 win on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists as the Western Conference leaders improved to 48-24. The Nuggets have already assured themselves of a postseason berth and are now aiming to lock down top seed in the final three weeks of the regular season.

In San Antonio, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell both finished with 29 points as the Spurs fought back from 24 points down to stun the visiting Atlanta Hawks 126-118.

The Hawks looked to be romping to a comfortable road win after piling on 83 first-half points to lead by 22 at half time.

But the Spurs — already eliminated from postseason contention — flipped the script after the break, outscoring Atlanta 39-20 in the third before a 26-15 fourth quarter.

INDIAN WELLS, California — Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz swept past Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 and secure his return to No. 1 in the world.

US Open champion Alcaraz ended Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak, denying him a fourth title in as many tournaments to ensure he will supplant Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic atop the rankings.

“It feels amazing to lift the trophy here, to recover the No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “I would say this has been the perfect tournament.”

Serbia’s Djokovic, barred from entering the United States because he hasn’t been vaccinated against Covid-19, sat out Indian Wells and will miss the Miami Open starting this week, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.

Alcaraz, 19, who became the youngest World No. 1 ever after his triumph at Flushing Meadows last year, claimed his third Masters 1000 title and joined compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only players to win at least three as a teenager. Nadal won six before turning 20.

He was unstoppable on Stadium Court, breaking through what he’d called the “wall” of Medvedev’s formidable defenses.

Medvedev, coming off titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, could find no answer as Alcaraz fired winners from all over the court, defying the windy conditions.

“Daniil obviously didn’t play at his best level, but I’m very happy for my performance and how I played this tournament.”

He said the big change in him since a semifinal defeat to Nadal last year at Indian Wells was his comfort level on the game’s biggest stages.

“I think my tennis didn’t improve so much since last year. What I improve a lot is to not take the pressure, just to play relaxed. That, for me, is the most important thing.

“That’s why I show a great level, because I feel like I have no pressure. I enjoy.”

Medvedev certainly wasn’t able to ratchet up the pressure on him.

A stinging backhand winner gave Alcaraz an early break in the opening set as he raced to a 3-0 lead.

He gave himself a set point with a sharply angled forehand volley and sealed it with an unreturnable serve, then won the first 10 points of the second set on the way to a 4-0 lead.

He didn’t face a break point as he polished it off in one hour and 11 minutes, a diving volley winner giving him match point that he converted with another service winner.

“I expected a tougher match,” he said. “Against him is always a tactic match, and I did perfect today. That’s why it looks easy — but it wasn’t.”

Alcaraz has returned to No. 1 despite a late start to the year. Injury forced him to miss the Australian Open, where Djokovic claimed a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.

Since launching his season in February Alcaraz has won a title in Buenos Aires and reached the final in Rio de Janeiro.

But to stay at the top he’ll have to successfully defend his Miami title over the course of the next two weeks.

Medvedev, a former World No. 1 and US Open winner himself, was disappointed that he didn’t play his best, but pleased to get past the fourth round at Indian Wells for the first time, despite twisting his ankle in a win over Alexander Zverev and cutting his thumb in another tumble against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“But the week was amazing,” said Medvedev never a fan of the slow hard courts of Indian Wells.