Carlos Alcaraz has been inching closer to reclaim the No.1 position on the rankings table. On Saturday (March 8), he beat Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2 to kickstart his Indian Wells campaign.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz launched his bid for a rare Indian Wells three-peat with a bang on Saturday, racing into the third round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over France's Quentin Halys.

The peaks of the Spanish ace are truly impressive and – in the last twelve months – Carlitos is the only player who has shown that he can beat Jannik Sinner with some regularity. The world No.1 suffered just six defeats last season, three of which were against the 21-year-old from Murcia.

In an interview on the eve of the first Masters 1000 of the season, Carlos revealed that David Ferrer was the first to realize his immense potential: “The first one I can remember was David Ferrer. When I was 15, I had the chance to train with him. For me, Ferrer was a huge role model — not just in tennis but in sports in general.

The first-round spotlight will be on wild card Joao Fonseca, the 18-year-old Brazilian who upset Andre Rublev at the Australian Open and lifted his first ATP title in Buenos Aires in February. Fonseca will open his campaign against Britain's Jacob Fearnley, who has climbed from outside the top 500 in he world rankings this time last year to 81st.