And then there were two. Championship Sunday is upon us at the BNP Paribas Open, and two mouthwatering finals are on the Stadium 1 docket. Before you settle in and find out who raises the Baccarat Trophy, take a spin through the numbers ahead of both finals.
Carlos Alcaraz bids to become the first player to complete a successful title defense at Indian Wells since Novak Djokovic in 2016. The 20-year-old Spaniard has won 11 consecutive matches in the California desert and is bidding for his fifth Masters 1000 title.
With a victory over Maria Sakkari in Sunday’s final, Iga Swiatek would move to a win percentage of 90 percent at the BNP Paribas Open, surpassing Steffi Graf (89.5%) for the highest win rate of any player in women’s singles history at Indian Wells.
Swiatek bids to become the tenth woman to win multiple BNP Paribas Open titles when she faces Sakkari for the crown on Sunday. The Pole has won 18 of her previous 22 finals, and owns a lifetime record of 17-2 in the California desert.
Sakkari’s lifetime record against Swiatek. The Greek is one of only four players to have faced Swiatek multiple times and hold a winning record, along with Ashleigh Barty (2-0), Elena Rybakina (3-2) and Jelena Ostapenko (4-0).
Swiatek has taken the pair’s last two meetings in straight sets, however, including a 6-4, 6-1 victory in their last encounter, in the 2022 BNP Paribas Open final.
Alcaraz’s record in Masters 1000 finals. The Spaniard suffered his only loss in a Masters final last year when he fell to Djokovic in a thrilling three-set Cincinnati final. He is 12-4 lifetime in ATP finals, while his opponent, Daniil Medvedev is 20-17 in title matches.
Number of games dropped through five matches by Swiatek, an average of 3.4 games dropped per match. The Pole has dropped more than three games in a set just twice during the fortnight.
Swiatek has needed just five hours and 56 minutes in total court time to make her way to the final, while Sakkari, who has won four three-setters to advance to Sunday’s finale, has spent 11 hours and 18 minutes on court.
With Alcaraz and Medvedev squaring off in Sunday’s men’s final, we have a repeat of previous year’s Indian Wells final for the second time in tournament history. Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the 2014 and 2015 finals.
With a victory on Sunday, Sakkari would become the first Greek woman in the past four decades to defeat the WTA World No.1; Greek players are 0-9 against the WTA No.1 over that span.
