INDIAN WELLS: The two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz remained perfect in 2026 with his fourth-round win over 6-1, 7-6(2) and advanced to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells Open for the fifth straight year.
The 22-year-old seven-time major champion is bidding to become one of four players to have won three or more Indian Wells singles titles this century, and he is now one of four players to have reached five consecutive quarterfinals in the California desert.
Additionally, he is the first man to reach five quarterfinals here before turning 23.
Alcaraz set the tone with a break in the first game of the match, then further excited the crowd with a quintessential Alcaraz moment: a devilish topspin lob, taken out of the air, that had Ruud scratching his head just over ten minutes into the match.