Carlos Alcaraz continued his strong form at Indian Wells, kicking off his campaign with a hard-fought victory over Arthur Rinderknech on Monday.
Alcaraz lost the first set but rallied to claim a 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
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After the match, the two players shared a moment of levity in front of the net, with Rinderknech joking that he would prefer not to face Alcaraz anytime soon.
With this victory, Alcaraz now has 14 consecutive victories this season. He is aiming for his third consecutive title of the year in Indian Wells, having already triumphed in Melbourne and Doha.
This victory also allowed him to once again make tennis history.
Carlos Alcaraz edges out Stan Wawrinka’s rapid start to an ATP season
Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images
By extending his unbeaten run to 14 matches, the 22-year-old has already surpassed Stan Wawrinka’s fastest start to a year.
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Wawrinka, who has three Grand Slam titles to his name, opened the 2014 ATP season with a 13-match winning streak. This run included victories at the Chennai Open and the Australian Open.
During this stretch, the Swiss have beaten some of the biggest names in the sport, including Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic.
He was finally stopped by Kevin Anderson in the fourth round at Indian Wells.
With Wawrinka now behind him, Alcaraz has Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Jannik Sinner next on his list of targets.
In 1995, Agassi, one of the few men to achieve the “Career Grand Slam”, began his ATP season with an impressive 15-match winning streak, marking the sixth-best start in ATP history at the time.
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In 2006, Federer had his best season, which he started by winning 16 in a row.
Sinner completed a 16-match winning streak in 2024, including a victory at the Australian Open, tying a record previously set by Federer.
Novak Djokovic had the best start to an ATP season in 2011
In 2011, Djokovic had the most remarkable start to a season men’s tennis has ever seen.
He opened the year with a 41-match winning streak, setting the record for most consecutive wins to start an ATP season.
Djokovic was unbeatable from January until the French Open semifinals, winning titles at the Australian Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells, Miami Masters, Serbia Open, Madrid Masters and Rome Masters along the way.
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The streak was finally interrupted by Roger Federer. The Swiss legend won his semi-final 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 at Roland Garros.
Djokovic finished this year with a superb record of 70-6 in all competitions. Many consider his 2011 campaign to be one of the greatest seasons in tennis history.
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