Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev will clash in Sunday's final of the Indian Wells in a rematch of last year's summit clash after both prevailed in intense three-setters on Saturday.

Alcaraz came from behind to beat Jannik Sinner 1-6 6-3 6-2 before Medvedev edged out American Tommy Paul 1-6 7-6(3) 6-2 in the second semi-final.

Australian Open champion Sinner has been the hottest player on tour this year and looked poised to run away with the match when the Spaniard's forehand went long to end the 34-minute opening set, which was halted by a three-hour rain delay.

Alcaraz would finally break serve with a powerful forehand that set up a put-away volley for a 3-1 second set lead and hit a drop shot even the speedy Sinner did not try to race down to force a decider between the young rivals.

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With Sinner serving in the third set, the Italian dove to keep a ball in play on break point near the net, his hands scraping along the gritty Indian Wells hard court.

Alcaraz's athletic volley secured the break and Sinner appeared to be bothered by his left hand after the exchange.

Alcaraz went up a double break and 4-1 on a forehand wide by a suddenly error-prone Sinner and sealed the win with a crosscourt forehand winner to keep Sinner from taking his world number two ranking and denying him a 20th consecutive win going back to last year.

"I stayed strong mentally and that's very important," Alcaraz said after ending his opponent's winning streak this season at 16 matches. "I had to run more, defend better than I did in the first set. Put more balls in. Stay strong on the court."

Medvedev eked out a similar comeback win against Paul, who was quick off the blocks, dropping just one game in the opening set before the Russian bounced back.

Paul saved two set points to force a tie-break in the second set but Medvedev won five straight points to draw level with him.

Paul was broken from 40-0 in the first game of the third set, which was pretty much a one-sided affair as Medvedev closed out the match to stay on course to avenge his loss to Alcaraz in last year's final.

"He played an unbelievable first set," Medvedev said of his opponent. "So, I was like, OK, if I want to win I just have to try to do a little bit better to find the shot that's going to make him in trouble. I found some, especially on his serve."

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev will clash in Sunday's final of the Indian Wells in a rematch of last year's summit clash after both prevailed in intense three-setters on Saturday.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev will clash in Sunday's final of the Indian Wells in a rematch of last year's summit clash after both prevailed in intense three-setters on Saturday. Alcaraz came from behind to beat Jannik Sinner 1-6 6-3 6-2 before Medvedev edged out American Tommy Paul 1-6 7-6(3) 6-2 in the second semi-final. Australian Open champion Sinner has been the hottest player on tour this year and looked poised to run away with the match when the Spaniard's forehand went long to end the 34-minute opening set, which was halted by a three-hour rain delay. Alcaraz would finally break serve with a powerful forehand that set up a put-away volley for a 3-1 second set lead and hit a drop shot even the speedy Sinner did not try to race down to force a decider between the young rivals. ALSO READ: Rugby: Ireland keep Six Nations Cup with thrilling win over Scotland With Sinner serving in the third set, the Italian dove to keep a ball in play on break point near the net, his hands scraping along the gritty Indian Wells hard court. Alcaraz's athletic volley secured the break and Sinner appeared to be bothered by his left hand after the exchange. Alcaraz went up a double break and 4-1 on a forehand wide by a suddenly error-prone Sinner and sealed the win with a crosscourt forehand winner to keep Sinner from taking his world number two ranking and denying him a 20th consecutive win going back to last year. "I stayed strong mentally and that's very important," Alcaraz said after ending his opponent's winning streak this season at 16 matches. "I had to run more, defend better than I did in the first set. Put more balls in. Stay strong on the court." Medvedev eked out a similar comeback win against Paul, who was quick off the blocks, dropping just one game in the opening set before the Russian bounced back. Paul saved two set points to force a tie-break in the second set but Medvedev won five straight points to draw level with him. Paul was broken from 40-0 in the first game of the third set, which was pretty much a one-sided affair as Medvedev closed out the match to stay on course to avenge his loss to Alcaraz in last year's final. "He played an unbelievable first set," Medvedev said of his opponent. "So, I was like, OK, if I want to win I just have to try to do a little bit better to find the shot that's going to make him in trouble. I found some, especially on his serve."

Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz to meet Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells final

Maria Sakkari endured a spirited fightback from Coco Gauff to stun the third seed 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2 in a rain-interrupted Indian Wells semi-final on Friday and set up an intriguing rematch of the 2022 title clash with Iga Swiatek.

U.S. Open champion Gauff looked far from her best early in the match as Sakkari drew first blood after a short rain delay by breaking the American third seed in the ninth game, before securing the opening set with ease.

The players were forced off the court for a longer spell as the showers returned at the start of the second set, but Sakkari picked up from where she left off when the action resumed and tightened her grip on the contest with a double break.

But Gauff was not done and the 20-year-old rediscovered her rhythm in the high-octane second set to save three match points and go level at 5-5, eventually forcing a tie break which she dominated to set up a decider.

Ninth seed Sakkari regrouped and showed her quality in the decisive points after swapping breaks with Gauff early in the third set to prevail in the late-night thriller.

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"I don't want to disrespect Coco, but it would have been amazing if this match was over an hour ago," Sakkari said after the epic battle that lasted two hours and 41 minutes. "I'm going to take this win even though it was in three sets. I was thinking of the finish line in the second set and then things got tricky. But that was an amazing win."

"Coco is such an amazing opponent. She's incredible. She fights for every point. I'm just so happy I'm in the final once again here."

Top seed Swiatek earlier produced a near-flawless display in chilly, windy conditions to cruise past Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-1 and remain on track for her second title of the year.

"For sure I'm happy with the performance. I think it was the cleanest match I played here. The focus was high throughout and I didn't have any doubts," said Swiatek, who has not dropped a set in the Californian desert this year.

"It's already a great tournament."

The 2022 champion made her intentions clear early on with an aggressive start to break for a 2-1 lead and pulled further away when Kostyuk hit a double fault two games later.

The 21-year-old Kostyuk surrendered the opening set in 31 minutes and was put through the wringer again by world number one Swiatek at the start of the second set.

A powerful smash at the net gave Swiatek another break. The four-times Grand Slam champion withstood some pressure from the 31st seed in the next game before building a 3-0 advantage.

Kostyuk appeared to struggle with a left foot problem and a medical timeout only delayed the inevitable, as Swiatek eased to a WTA Tour-leading 19th match win of the season, finishing off the match with a forehand winner.

Maria Sakkari endured a spirited fightback from Coco Gauff to stun the third seed 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2 in a rain-interrupted Indian Wells semi-final on Friday and set up an intriguing rematch of the 2022 title clash with Iga Swiatek.

Maria Sakkari endured a spirited fightback from Coco Gauff to stun the third seed 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2 in a rain-interrupted Indian Wells semi-final on Friday and set up an intriguing rematch of the 2022 title clash with Iga Swiatek. U.S. Open champion Gauff looked far from her best early in the match as Sakkari drew first blood after a short rain delay by breaking the American third seed in the ninth game, before securing the opening set with ease. The players were forced off the court for a longer spell as the showers returned at the start of the second set, but Sakkari picked up from where she left off when the action resumed and tightened her grip on the contest with a double break. But Gauff was not done and the 20-year-old rediscovered her rhythm in the high-octane second set to save three match points and go level at 5-5, eventually forcing a tie break which she dominated to set up a decider. Ninth seed Sakkari regrouped and showed her quality in the decisive points after swapping breaks with Gauff early in the third set to prevail in the late-night thriller. ALSO READ: Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald announces retirement "I don't want to disrespect Coco, but it would have been amazing if this match was over an hour ago," Sakkari said after the epic battle that lasted two hours and 41 minutes. "I'm going to take this win even though it was in three sets. I was thinking of the finish line in the second set and then things got tricky. But that was an amazing win." "Coco is such an amazing opponent. She's incredible. She fights for every point. I'm just so happy I'm in the final once again here." Top seed Swiatek earlier produced a near-flawless display in chilly, windy conditions to cruise past Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-1 and remain on track for her second title of the year. "For sure I'm happy with the performance. I think it was the cleanest match I played here. The focus was high throughout and I didn't have any doubts," said Swiatek, who has not dropped a set in the Californian desert this year. "It's already a great tournament." The 2022 champion made her intentions clear early on with an aggressive start to break for a 2-1 lead and pulled further away when Kostyuk hit a double fault two games later. The 21-year-old Kostyuk surrendered the opening set in 31 minutes and was put through the wringer again by world number one Swiatek at the start of the second set. A powerful smash at the net gave Swiatek another break. The four-times Grand Slam champion withstood some pressure from the 31st seed in the next game before building a 3-0 advantage. Kostyuk appeared to struggle with a left foot problem and a medical timeout only delayed the inevitable, as Swiatek eased to a WTA Tour-leading 19th match win of the season, finishing off the match with a forehand winner.

Indian Wells 2024: Maria Sakkari stuns Coco Gauff to book summit clash date with Iga Swiatek

Novak Djokovic is expected to return to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open next month after a five-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and U.S. travel restrictions, according to the entry list released on Wednesday by tournament organisers.

Also featured in the men's lineup is three-times Indian Wells champion Rafa Nadal, who missed last month's Australian Open due to a muscle tear but has since been included on the entry list for a Feb. 19-24 ATP 250 event in Doha.

World number one Djokovic, whose last appearance at Indian Wells in 2019 ended with a third-round exit, will be seeking an unprecedented sixth title at what is regarded the biggest tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slam events.

The 2020 BNP Paribas Open was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak and Djokovic missed the next three editions as the United States did not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country.

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Among the other names in the star-studded field are reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz, who in 2022 became the first American man since Andre Agassi in 2001 to win the Indian Wells title.

On the women's side, world number one Iga Swiatek will be joined by 2023 Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina, Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.

Naomi Osaka, an Indian Wells champion in 2018, and 2019 finalist Angelique Kerber, are also expected to return for the first time since 2022 following maternity leave.

This year's BNP Paribas Open runs from March 3-17.

Novak Djokovic is expected to return to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open next month after a five-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and U.S. travel restrictions, according to the entry list released on Wednesday by tournament organisers.

Novak Djokovic is expected to return to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open next month after a five-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and U.S. travel restrictions, according to the entry list released on Wednesday by tournament organisers. Also featured in the men's lineup is three-times Indian Wells champion Rafa Nadal, who missed last month's Australian Open due to a muscle tear but has since been included on the entry list for a Feb. 19-24 ATP 250 event in Doha. World number one Djokovic, whose last appearance at Indian Wells in 2019 ended with a third-round exit, will be seeking an unprecedented sixth title at what is regarded the biggest tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slam events. The 2020 BNP Paribas Open was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak and Djokovic missed the next three editions as the United States did not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country. ALSO READ: Tennis: Simona Halep appears before CAS to appeal four-year doping ban Among the other names in the star-studded field are reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz, who in 2022 became the first American man since Andre Agassi in 2001 to win the Indian Wells title. On the women's side, world number one Iga Swiatek will be joined by 2023 Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina, Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Naomi Osaka, an Indian Wells champion in 2018, and 2019 finalist Angelique Kerber, are also expected to return for the first time since 2022 following maternity leave. This year's BNP Paribas Open runs from March 3-17.

Tennis: Novak Djokovic to play Indian Wells for first time since 2019

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Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz to meet Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells final

Indian Wells 2024: Maria Sakkari stuns Coco Gauff to book summit clash date with Iga Swiatek

Tennis: Novak Djokovic to play Indian Wells for first time since 2019