World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz maintained his flawless start to 2026, defeating Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) on Wednesday to reach the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, fresh off a historic Australian Open title that completed his career Grand Slam, moved to 15-0 on the season.
Alcaraz, who lifted the trophy here in 2023 and 2024, dominated the opening set before weathering a second-set surge from Ruud to clinch the tiebreak.
Next up, Alcaraz faces 2021 champion Cameron Norrie. The 29th-ranked Briton advanced with a clinical 6-4, 6-2 win over Australian qualifier Rinki Hijikata.
The quarterfinal lineup is heating up after a day of drama that saw defending champion Jack Draper stun Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner continue his ruthless run through the draw.
