Top seed Carlos Alcaraz entered Saturday’s semifinal with Daniil Medvedev riding a 16-match winning streak and in some of the best form of his glittering career.

On a summery Saturday afternoon in front of 16,000 in Tennis Paradise, the World No. 1 left Stadium 1 victimized by a resurgent former No. 1 who now holds the longest winning streak on the ATP Tour.

Medvedev played electric tennis from start to finish and outgunned the two-time champion, 6-3, 7-6(3), to claim his ninth consecutive win and book his spot in Sunday’s final alongside World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.

“Carlos is an outstanding player, it’s very tough to play against him and I lost to him many times,” an elated Medvedev said on court. “And to be honest, probably I will play many more times against him and lose many more.”

Medvedev, who lost two finals to Alcaraz at Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024 without winning a set, was a man on a mission on Saturday and took the play to the 22-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion for much of the afternoon.

"I just have to give credit to Daniil," Alcaraz told reporters after the match. "I think he just played an amazing match. Since the start of the match until the end, he was playing unreal, I gotta say. I have never seen, to be honest, Daniil playing like this."

Medvedev credited self-belief and aggressive tactics for his third career win in nine tries against the Spaniard.

“Every time I step on court I need to believe I can win,” he said. “It’s a bit faster court than the two previous times, so it gave me more chances on my serve. To beat someone like Carlos, especially with the season that he was having, is a great feeling.”

Medvedev Fast Out Of The Gates

Under extreme pressure from Medvedev, who was in a state of free flow, Alcaraz got a brief reprieve when his shoe fell off during a rally at 1-4, 0-30 in the opening set. He took a moment to put the shoe back on and received a hearty cheer from the packed house as he walked back to his baseline to serve.

A few games later Alcaraz brought the crowd to its feet with a filthy forehand winner for 5-3 — the type of shot that only counts for one point but can leave a lasting impression on a match of this stature.

Alcaraz’s hot shot may have shaken 16,000 fans to their core, but a determined Medvedev remained unfazed and closed out the set quickly with a hold for 6-3.

With shadows starting to cross the court in the late-afternoon sun, Alcaraz refused to give up the chase. Adjusting his return position to disrupt the rhythm of the former World No. 1, the Spaniard earned his first break and took a 3-1 lead in the second set.

The lead didn’t last, but the scintillating tennis did.

“Oh my God, are we getting highlight after highlight out here!” said Jim Courier, commentating the match for Tennis Channel, after yet another brilliant, reactive play from Medvedev at the net. “This is bananas.”

Searching for inspiration, the Spaniard stuck his fist in the air to rally the crowd with Medvedev serving on set point at 4-5, 30-40, but again Medvedev found a solution.

He would save another set point in the game.

"I just had my chances that I didn't take," Alcaraz said. "I would say the difference was he just save four breakpoints, and I didn't save any."

A wildly entertaining set moved to a tiebreak at the 90-minute mark with the court now covered in shadows. Alcaraz still had hope, but this was Medvedev’s day, and it became apparent in the ensuing moments.

A 123 mph serve out wide gave the former World No. 1 five match points against the current No.1.

Moments later, Medvedev’s fourth ace of the day ended the battle — a stunning result for the former US Open champion and his eighth career win over a reigning World No. 1. The victory was Medvedev's first against a World No.1 since defeating Sinner in the 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

“I think I was serving great in general,” Medvedev said. “The serve saved me a couple of times, and he’s one of the best returners on tour. I was a bit disappointed not to close it out on his serve, but making an ace was a good feeling.”