Carlos Alcaraz cruises into Indian Wells third round as Novak Djokovic fights through

INDIAN WELLS – Carlos Alcaraz was once again flawless, but he insisted that he adapted to the conditions better as he reached the round of 32 at the Indian Wells ATP Masters on March 7.

The world No. 1 swept past Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 to advance, as Novak Djokovic battled back for a three-set victory over Kamil Majchrzak.

Spain’s Alcaraz was untroubled by the former world No. 3 from Bulgaria, pushing his perfect 2026 match record to 13-0 in just 66 minutes.

Djokovic, a five-time Indian Wells champion who has struggled in recent years, had to grind for 2hr 12min to subdue 57th-ranked Majchrzak of Poland 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Alcaraz said he was wary of Dimitrov, but even in the swirling winds he was in control, firing from the baseline with power and accuracy.

He barely broke a sweat and cracked plenty of smiles, saving the lone break point he faced in the second set and even getting a high five from his opponent on a changeover.

“His style is really, really dangerous and it’s always tough to control the ball when he steps on the court and he’s hitting his shots,” said the 22-year-old Spaniard, whose Australian Open triumph in January made him the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

“With the wind today, it was even tougher and I think I adapted my game better and that’s why I took the match. In general, I’m really, really happy with the things that I’ve done today.”

He added the Qatar Open title before heading to the United States to chase a third Indian Wells crown.

“I love being here so much. I think that’s why I’m just playing relaxed, playing calm, chilling,” he said.

Although Djokovic shares the record for most Indian Wells ATP titles with Swiss great Roger Federer, he has found the early going in California anything but relaxing in recent years.

That was true again on March 7, but the 38-year-old Serbian star – back on court for the first time since he fell to Alcaraz in the Australian Open final – managed to escape with a win.

Majchrzak grabbed two quick breaks in the opening set before Djokovic began to find his rhythm from the baseline and assert his superiority.

“Kamil is a very solid player,” Djokovic said. “He doesn’t have tremendous power, but he has every shot in the book and he was not afraid to come in and take the ball early.

“He played a tremendous first set. I kind of reset and started feeling the ball better,” he added after a match marked by extended, entertaining rallies that included a 40-shot exchange in the opening game of the third.

Majchrzak held in that game, but Djokovic broke him twice on the way to a 5-2 lead and was finally looking more relaxed when he closed it out with a backhand volley winner.

It was an especially satisfying win for Djokovic, who lost his opener in 2025 to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp and fell to Italy’s Luca Nardi in the last 32 in 2024.

“It’s kind of hard to find my A-game, particularly at the beginning of the tournament,” he added. “So just glad to overcome a challenge.”

Jack Draper launched his title defence with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut. The Briton halted Alcaraz’s bid for a rare Indian Wells three-peat in the semi-finals in 2025 before beating Norway’s Holger Rune in the final.

That victory launched his rise to fourth in the world, but he returned to California in rebuilding mode again after an arm injury forced him to cut short his 2025 season.

“To come out and play the level I’m playing after the injury I had, I am really proud of that,” said the 24-year-old Draper, who made his return to the tour in Dubai in February, having not played since his second-round withdrawal at the 2025 US Open. AFP