Indian Wells: Jannik Sinner to face Daniil Medvedev in first California final

Sinner has won 21 of 24 titles on hard courts and looked in top form as he defeated Zverev in one hour and 23 minutes.

The 24-year-old is aiming to become the third man after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to win all six ATP Masters 1,000 hard-court titles.

“It was a great performance – very solid in the backcourt. I tried to shoot and that felt like one of the keys,” Sinner said.

“He has a strong serve, so I tried to mix it up. From my side, my serve was very precise and it was a solid performance.

“I think the game will be more intense, but when both sides are serving well, it’s difficult to get into a rhythm with short points.”

Sinner endured a frustrating start to 2026, failing to reach the finals ahead of this event, but he was inspired as he attempted to secure what, by his standards, may have been a long-overdue title.

The Italian, who has won seven of 11 meetings with Zverev, suffered a mental toll in the first set as he dropped just four points on serve and was broken twice.

Zverev struggled to find a rhythm on his serve in the first set, and Sinner made him pay, winning six of eight second-serve return points.

The 28-year-old German struggled to save three break points in the first service game of the second set, but was eventually broken to trail 4-3 and spent the rest of the match on serve.