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Best Of The Quarterfinals: A 100 MPH Carlos Alcaraz Forehand And A Little Bit Of Spice
2 Min Read · March 14, 2024

The quarterfinals are done and dusted at the BNP Paribas Open, which means that we’re back to celebrate the greatest achievements of a buzzworthy day of tennis at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Scroll down as we hand out the trophies! 

The Spiciest Point (And Aftermath) Award 

Holger Rune takes his backhand to the kitchen and Daniil Medvedev wasn’t exactly appreciative.

Best Hammer Of The Gods Forehand 

It was one of those days for the man they call “Carlitos,” as the defending champion put on an epic shotmaking display to take down Germany’s Alexander Zverev. Check out this otherworldly strike.

Superfan No.1 

What a great moment for this loyal Carlos Alcaraz fan! She gets a smile from her hero during his win over Alexander Zverev. Extra points for her for waiting out the swarm of bees that interrupted the match for over an hour and a half.

Unstoppable Award 

Jannik Sinner takes this one without a doubt. The Italian, who became a major champion for the first time at the Australian Open in January, has now reeled off 19 consecutive wins and totes a 16-0 record in 2024. 

Wicked Point of the Day 

How did Casper Ruud win this point?

Biggest Tennis Nerd 

Tommy Paul, hands down. He’s been watching old-school Roger Federer vs Tim Henman matches during his run to the BNP Paribas Open semis, so we must give credit where credit is due. 

“I watched pretty much all the matches here this week, along with some classic tennis matches,” Paul said after his win over Casper Ruud. “I've been watching, I think before my first round we watched Tim Henman versus Roger in Paris-Bercy, and then we watched Edberg before my second round. Then we watched Boris Becker yesterday.”

Best Quote: Marta Kostyuk Breaks Out Her Suits Knowledge 

“Whoever watches suits knows that Harvey Specter said ‘I don’t play the odds, I play the man. Today I was not playing the man, I was playing the wind.” 

Honesty Is The Best Policy Award

Carlos Alcaraz, gets the nod for this statement after his win over Alexander Zverev: “I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little bit afraid of the bees.”

The True Grit Award 

Maria Sakkari, who braved cold, blustery conditions to gut out a victory in two hours and 54 minutes over American Emma Navarro. Sakkari, who will face Coco Gauff in Friday’s semifinals, has now won seven of ten deciders in 2022. She has reached the semis in Tennis Paradise for three years running.

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