BROOKSBY OUT: AMERICAN STAR'S DREAM RUN ENDS AS DANIIL MEDVEDEV CLINCHES CLINICAL DUBAI VICTORY
Medvedev through. Get the report on his 6-2, 6-1 win and his thoughts on Brooksby’s suspected shoulder injury.
Daniil Medvedev is through to the semi-finals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after beating Jenson Brooksby.
Medvedev has looked sharp in Dubai. He started by beating Juncheng Shang in straight sets, then cruised past Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 in the Round of 16. That win over Wawrinka, who was playing his last match in Dubai, set up this quarter-final against Brooksby.
Honestly, Brooksby never really got going. Medvedev broke him right away in the first game and kept the pressure on for the whole 57 minutes. He didn’t face a single break point and never let Brooksby settle into the match.
Medvedev’s serve looked rock solid, and he was all over Brooksby’s second serve. He won a big chunk of his first-serve points and made the most of his break chances. Brooksby, on the other hand, barely managed a couple of winners the entire match.
The score pretty much tells the story. Medvedev snatched the first set with no trouble, then broke serve three more times in the second to wrap things up without much fuss.
Brooksby, who isn’t even in the top 40, just couldn’t find a way past Medvedev’s depth and clever shot-making on these quick Dubai courts. He barely had any chances to break back.
Now Medvedev gets ready for the semi-finals, where he’ll take on either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jiri Lehecka. He’s looking to keep up his run and go for the title.
After the match, Medvedev said he was happy with how he played and is looking forward to the next round.
“I’m really happy with my level. I think I’m playing better and better with every match,” he said. “A lot of my shots were landing in, and I think maybe he had a shoulder issue, but he’s a tough competitor, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“I put in the work during the off-season and came into this year feeling good. I think you can see that paying off now.”
HISTORY ON LINE: NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEGINS INDIAN WELLS RUN TO SNATCH FEDERER’S TITLE RECORD
Is Djokovic the GOAT? Discover how Novak plans to break Roger Federer’s Indian Wells title record in the 2026 California desert.
Novak Djokovic is gearing up for his 17th run at Indian Wells, chasing a sixth Masters title in California. The draw hasn’t done him any favours, but plenty of experts still see him as a real threat to win it all.
He’s coming in hot, too. Djokovic kicked off the season by making it to the Australian Open final, only falling to Carlos Alcaraz at the very end.
There’s even more at stake this year. If Djokovic lifts the trophy at Indian Wells, he breaks a tournament record that Roger Federer currently shares with him.
Now, Federer’s name is all over the Indian Wells record books. Even after retiring in 2022, he still holds eight records there. You see his name next to most finals played, most matches played and won, and the most editions entered.
Right now, Federer and Djokovic are tied for most titles at Indian Wells, each with five. They also share a couple of other records, but this year, Djokovic has a shot at pulling ahead. If he wins, he grabs that title record outright, which would leave Federer with seven Indian Wells records to himself.
When it comes to head-to-head battles at Indian Wells, Djokovic has always had Federer’s number. They’ve faced off three times on those courts, and Djokovic came out on top every single time.
Here’s how some of the big records at Indian Wells stack up:
Most titles: Djokovic 5, Federer 5
Most finals: Federer 9
Most consecutive titles: Federer (2004–2006) and Djokovic (2014–2016), both with 3.
Most consecutive finals: Federer (two separate runs of 3), Djokovic (2014–2016)
Most matches played: Federer 79
Most matches won: Federer 66
Most consecutive matches won: Djokovic: 19
Most editions played: Federer 18.
Oldest champion: Federer (35 years, 7 months, 11 days in 2017)
So, while Federer still dominates the record books, Djokovic has a real chance to add another chapter to the rivalry and maybe take home another record for himself.
THE 3.3.26 DATE: UNEARTHING THE ROMANTIC DETAILS BEHIND ARYNA SABALENKA’S PROPOSAL IN CALIFORNIA
Aryna Sabalenka is engaged: Read about the 3.3.26 proposal to Georgios Frangulis and the reactions from Gauff, Alcaraz, and Djokovic.
Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz are just a couple of the tennis stars who rushed to celebrate Aryna Sabalenka’s big news: she’s engaged to Georgios Frangulis.
Sabalenka dropped the announcement on social media right before kicking off her run at Indian Wells. As the world number one, she’ll jump straight into the second round, waiting to face either Alycia Parks or Himeno Sakatsume. But honestly, her focus seems split lately, and who can blame her? Off the court, she’s soaking up all the love and congratulations pouring in from fellow players.
She posted a video of the proposal on Instagram, adding a simple, sweet caption: “You & me, forever, 3.3.26.” Coco Gauff chimed in with a quick "Congratulations", and Alcaraz went all out with a stretched-out “Congratulatiooooons!” Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova also sent their best, and even Novak Djokovic shared some love. Sabalenka’s close friend Paula Badosa joined in, and skiing legend Lindsey Vonn couldn’t resist commenting either.
Now, with all the excitement swirling around her engagement, you have to wonder, can Sabalenka keep her head in the game at Indian Wells? Wedding plans are probably swirling in her mind, but if history tells us anything, it’s that Sabalenka knows how to lock in when it matters. Her serve is as deadly as ever, and she’s already put together an 11-1 win-loss record this season, with two finals under her belt.
She kicked things off with a title in Brisbane, then hit a snag in the Australian Open final against Elena Rybakina. No doubt, she’s itching to get back to her winning ways in California. The hard courts there play right into her strengths, and all four of her Grand Slam titles have come on this surface. Plus, she’s been a finalist at Indian Wells twice, so she’s got plenty of motivation to finally go all the way.
The field is stacked, so it won’t be easy. But honestly, if anyone’s primed for a breakthrough at Indian Wells, it’s Sabalenka.
