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The Spaniard, who lost just six games in each of his opening two matches, turned in his most impressive display of the tournament in windy evening conditions under the lights on Stadium 1. Handling the blustery night better than his opponent, Alcaraz's athleticism did not allow Dimitrov to hit through him in an entertaining evening showcase that provided plenty of fireworks despite the one-sided scoreline.

"It's really difficult playing against Grigor. He's a really talented player. He can do whatever he wants with the ball," Alcaraz said. "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 his ATP Head2Head against the Bulgarian, snapping a two-match losing streak in their rivalry. After ATP Masters 1000 wins in Shanghai (2023) and Miami (2024), Dimitrov was bidding to become just the fourth man to record four or more victories against Alcaraz (Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner) and to join Felix Auger-Aliassime as the only player to defeat Alcaraz three times in a row. 

Instead, the Spaniard remains firmly on course for an Indian Wells three-peat. If he can match Roger Federer (2004-06) and Novak Djokovic (2014-16) by achieving that feat, the Spaniard would tie Jannik Sinner in first place in the ATP Live Race To Turin. In the ATP Rankings, Alcaraz cannot improve upon his No. 3 position this week, behind Sinner and Alexander Zverev, even with the title.

He sealed his quarter-final place with his 20th winner of the evening on match point. In the one-hour, 14-minute match, the Spaniard saved all three break points against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He has been broken just once on eight break points against him this fortnight.

Alcaraz's 15 consecutive Indian Wells wins are third-most behind Djokovic (19) and Federer (18). He will bid to continue his winning ways against Francisco Cerundolo in the quarter-finals. The Argentine beat Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3 earlier in the day to improve to 6-1 in his last seven matches against Top 10 players at the ATP Masters 1000s.

"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.

"I think I'm getting better and better. I love Indian Wells, I love this court. So I'm just ready to take the challenge."