Carlos Alcaraz eyes Indian Wells three-peat as Jannik Sinner faces suspension

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is the leading contender to achieve a rare three-peat at Indian Wells, while Poland's Iga Swiatek aims to become the first woman to win the tournament three times when the main draw commences on Wednesday in the California desert.

With world number one Jannik Sinner currently serving a doping suspension, Alcaraz faces one less challenge in his quest to join legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to secure three consecutive victories in "Tennis Paradise."

The 21-year-old Alcaraz has triumphed over Daniil Medvedev in his last two finals at Indian Wells. Despite his defeat to Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, he has had a strong start to the year, boasting an 11-2 win/loss record.

Djokovic, aged 37, withdrew from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open due to a hamstring injury and was eliminated in the first round of the Qatar Open last month.

The Serbian is pursuing a sixth title at Indian Wells, which would allow him to surpass Federer and become the third man in the professional era to achieve 100 career singles titles, following Jimmy Connors (109) and Federer (103).

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is also seeking redemption after his unexpected defeat to tournament lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round last year, which stands as one of the most significant upsets of his career.

The United States features five players in the men's top 25, who can anticipate robust support from the home crowd each time they compete on the hard courts of the palm tree-lined Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Top American Taylor Fritz aims to replicate the success of his breakthrough victory three years ago, while last year's semi-finalist Tommy Paul hopes to make another deep run.

Big-serving left-hander Ben Shelton, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, thrives on crowd energy and could leverage that to achieve a breakthrough victory.

A formidable group of American women, eager to end a title drought in the desert, may pose a significant challenge to world number two Swiatek's pursuit of history.

SportsLigue