The first combined ATP-WTA Masters 1000 event of the year has come to an end, with Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka lifting the trophies. What a fortnight it was for Sabalenka, who got a new puppy and got engaged ahead of the tournament, and has finally won Indian Wells for the first time in her career after being very open about her desire to lift this trophy. Elena Rybakina made her work for it, too. Sinner also became a first-time champion in the desert, lifting his first trophy of the year as he overcame a resurgent Daniil Medvedev, who has returned to the top-10 after a statement fortnight, and looks back at his best.

Carlos Alcaraz’s incredible 16-match winning streak finally came to an end as he was beaten for the first time in 2026. The Spaniard looked sublime in the first few rounds, but admitted he had “never seen Daniil playing like this before” as Medvedev took him out in the semis.

For Novak Djokovic, it was a mixed bag. The world No. 3 avoided early upsets against Kamil Majchrzak and Aleksandar Kovacevic but lost a gruelling three-setter to reigning champion Jack Draper in the fourth round – but this was still his best showing here since 2017. Iga Swiatek also had a fortnight of highs and lows, storming past tricky Czech Karolina Muchova before losing to Elina Svitolina in the semis. She’s now lost five straight matches against top-10 opposition for the first time in her career.

It was mostly a tournament to be proud of for the Brits. No. 25 seed Emma Raducanu suffered a bruising 52-minute thrashing to Amanda Anisimova in the third round, but Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie caused some upsets, while defending champion Jack Draper shocked Djokovic. Jacob Fearnley also pushed seventh seed Taylor Fritz before losing in the second round. Express Sport hands out player ratings to the top three seeds, some British stars, and other players who made an impression after an interesting fortnight in the Californian desert.

Jannik Sinner: 10/10. Sinner lost in the Australian Open semi-finals and the Doha quarters, and there was suddenly chatter about his sudden dip in form. If that’s considered a low point, most other players would have signed up for it. But the world No. 2 steadied the ship and silenced that discourse by winning Indian Wells for the first time in his career, all without dropping a set. He’s ‘completed’ hard-court tennis – he’s won both Slams, the ATP Finals, and all six Masters titles on this surface now. And we were worried about him?

Aryna Sabalenka: 10/10. What a couple of weeks it’s been for the world No. 1. A new puppy, an engagement, and now she’s won her first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka is one of those players who seems to thrive when she’s happy off the court, so lifting a trophy days after her now-fiance proposed is a fitting end to her time in the desert this year. She was clinical, not dropping a set on her way to the final. And the way she stayed strong and composed during a brutal final, having been broken when serving for it, then saving a championship point in tie tiebreak, was impressive.

Daniil Medvedev: 9.5/10. Before we get into his great run, let’s not forget that Medvedev was one of the players stuck in Dubai ahead of the tournament. He had to drive to Oman, catch a flight to Istanbul, and then jet to California. Had it not been for Indian Wells, Medvedev admitted he would have even stayed in Dubai. Maybe it helped him play with house money. The Russian showed why he was the man to end the Big Four’s stronghold on the world No. 1 ranking a few years ago as he stormed into the final without dropping a set, most notably taking out Alcaraz in a calm and confident semi-final performance. He just came up short against Sinner, but seeing Medvedev return to his best level and challenge the elite players again is a pleasure. He just fell short, but what a way to prove you’re “still a good tennis player”, as he told Sky Sports.

Elena Rybakina: 9/10. Rybakina well and truly looks like one of the best players in the world right now, and it takes something special to beat her. That was evident from the final. She struggled against Hailey Baptiste in her opening match and avoided an early upset, but then looked unstoppable on her way to the final, taking out two fellow top-10ers with ease. It looked like Rybakina was going to come from a break down in the decider to beat Sabalenka in a big final again after the Aussie Open, but Sabalenka was just too strong. The Kazakh has been rewarded for her efforts with a rise to No. 2 in the world, a new career high.

Carlos Alcaraz: 8/10. The two-time champion showed some vulnerability against Arthur Rinderknech but otherwise looked unplayable until a disappointing semi-final loss to Medvedev. The Spaniard’s 16-match unbeaten streak to start 2026 finally came to an end here, and he looked out of sorts in the semis, though that doesn’t take away from his first few matches. He also matches his semi-final result from last year.

Novak Djokovic: 6/10. As mentioned, this was Djokovic’s best result here since 2017, so that has to count for something. But he very well could have lost either of his first two matches, and as soon as he came up against a higher-ranked player in Draper, he bowed out. Still a decent run given how tough he’s found Indian Wells in recent years.

Iga Swiatek: 5/10. It’s been a 50/50 tournament for Swiatek, so she gets a rating straight down the middle. Avoided dropping a set to Kayla Day in her opening match and then looked dominant against two tough opponents in Maria Sakkari and Karolina Muchova. But she’s been struggling against top opposition of late, and a three-set quarter-final loss to Svitolina showed that.

Emma Raducanu: 2/10. A good first match, but that’s to be expected when the 25th seed faces a qualifier. But Raducanu’s 6-1 6-1 loss to Anisimova was proof of the huge gap between the British No. 1 and players at the very top of the game. A lot of work to be done.

Sonay Kartal: 7/10. Kartal managed to defend the fourth-round points she earned here last year, and after seeing her draw, she would have absolutely signed for that. The British No. 2 stunned top-20 seeds Emma Navarro and Madison Keys, saving a match point against Navarro. A shame that a lower back injury forced her to retire against Rybakina, but the smart thing to do with the Miami Open just days away.

Jack Draper: 8/10. This was Draper’s second ATP Tour event since August. He’d only played three matches all year, coming into his title defence in Indian Wells. The 2025 champ looked great as he beat 19th seed Francisco Cerundolo, then got his first win over Djokovic in a very physical battle, before losing to in-form Medvedev. Given how early he is in his injury comeback, this was a fortnight to be very proud of. Jack is back.

Cam Norrie: 8/10. Norrie just loves the desert. He took out No. 6 seed Alex de Minaur on his way to the last eight, and only Alcaraz could end his run. That’s also four quarter-final appearances in six years here for 2021 champ Cam, and he’s regained the British No. 1 ranking from Draper.

Joao Fonseca: 8/10. There’s been a weird theme around Fonseca at the moment, with some fans arguing that he’s so overhyped, he’s become under-hyped. The Brazilian teenager proved he is definitely a future top star by taking out top-20 seeds Karen Khachanov and Tommy Paul before pushing Sinner in two tiebreak sets. Made his first fourth-round appearance at a Masters 1000 event, too. First of many.

Stefanos Tsitsipas: 1/10. This was Tsitsipas’ first first-round loss at a Masters since Cincinnati 2018 (!), granted he’s mostly been seeded since then, so got byes into the second round. The former world No. 3 faced Denis Shapovalov in a match that would have set the tour alight in 2018. Sadly, nowadays, Tsitsipas is leaving many wondering “what if?” He hit more than double the number of unforced errors as he did winners against Shapovalov, 31 to 15, losing in three sets. This still wasn’t an ‘upset’ – Shapovalov is now ranked higher than him. And Tsitsipas did get a set.

Mirra Andreeva: 2/10. The defending champion started the tournament with a commanding 6-0 6-0 win against Solana Sierra, and then fell apart. That win is the reason she gets points. Andreeva crumbled against Katerina Siniakova in a very nervy three-setter, and ended up telling the booing crowd “f*** you all” as she bowed out in round three. She went seven for 26 on break points and hit a staggering 75 unforced errors. At least there were 37 winners. I don’t think this result warrants long-term alarm bells – Andreeva is still so young, she’ll figure it out. But what a rough contrast compared to her run here last year.

Emma Navarro: 1/10. She got a bye into the second round as a seed and then lost, blowing so many chances against Kartal. She served for the match twice and had a match point, then fell apart in the tiebreak. Gets a point for the set she won.

Talia Gibson: 9/10. Absolutely exceeded expectations this fortnight. Gibson came through qualifying and stormed into the quarter-finals before losing in three sets. She upset two top-20 opponents and then stunned world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini. Before Indian Wells, the Aussie had two WTA Tour main-draw wins in her career. She earned four at this tournament alone. Gibson has deservedly risen from No. 112 to No. 67, making her top 100 debut.