Carlos Alcaraz beats Grigor Dimitrov in windy conditions to qualify for Indian Wells quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win against Grigor Dimitrov in the ongoing Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday night. The Spaniard came up with an impressive performance against the Bulgarian in windy evening conditions under the lights on Stadium 1.

The World No.3 was delighted that he brought his A-game to the court and admitted it was challenging for both players in windy conditions.

“It’s really difficult playing against Grigor. He’s a really talented player. He can do whatever he wants with the ball,” said Alcaraz. “Today with the conditions, it was really tough for both. I had to survive. I always say in these conditions, you have to survive no matter what. I’m very happy that I was able to play long rallies. I got a good rhythm, even with the conditions, so I’m just really happy to get through.”

Alcaraz improved to 4-2 in head-to-head against Dimitrov. The Bulgarian had beaten the Spaniard in ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai (2023) and Miami (2024) and was seeking his third consecutive win against Alcaraz.

Alcaraz will next take on Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals on Friday and the four-time Slam champion feels it is going to be a challenging contest.

“I’ve watched his matches. I know he’s playing great,” Alcaraz said of the Argentine, a five-time Masters 1000 quarter-finalist who now owns a 13-13 overall record against the Top 10. “I don’t know which one his is best surface, I don’t know if it’s clay or hard. He plays really well on every surface. That shows the player he is. He’s a really complete player, he can play really good tennis on every surface. I have to be really focused  on that, I have to be ready.”

Alcaraz is now three wins away from achieving a three-peat at the BNP Paribas Open.