Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged he was "in trouble" before battling back from a set down to defeat Arthur Rinderknech at the Indian Wells Open on Monday.

The number one seed will take on Casper Ruud in the last 16 after beating Rinderknech 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-2 in an entertaining encounter.

Alcaraz was in danger of suffering a shock exit when he trailed by a set and a break, and he briefly struggled with an ankle injury, but ultimately rallied to get over the line in impressive fashion.

There were no breaks of serve in a tight first set, and Alcaraz almost claimed the opener when he recovered from 5-2 down in the tie-break to lead 6-5. But he could not convert set point and it was Rinderknech who emerged triumphant to move ahead.

Rinderknech then broke Alcaraz in the first game of the second set to threaten an upset, but the Spaniard responded immediately to break back and later struck again as he levelled the match.

The third set was more straightforward for Alcaraz as he broke twice, including in the opening game, to claim victory.

"For me, it was really, really difficult," said Alcaraz after his victory. "He was playing his best tennis, I would say, in the first set and the beginning of the second.

"I got in trouble, to be honest, but just really happy with the way that I dealt with everything that was happening. I accepted it, kept going, stayed strong mentally.

"I tried to do some things a little bit different and I just started to play more solid, waiting for my chances."

Alcaraz will now take on Ruud, who also recovered from a set down in winning his last-32 match, beating Valentin Vacherot 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Data Debrief: Alcaraz recovers and moves to 14-0

Victory saw Alcaraz extend his perfect start to the season, with his 2026 record now standing at 14-0.

It was also a 32nd straight victory for Alcaraz on outdoor hard courts, in a stunning run that dates back to the Miami Open in 2025, when he lost to David Goffin.

Rinderknech battled well but ultimately fell to yet another defeat against Alcaraz, who leads their head-to-head battle 6-0.

This was also the 13th time Alcaraz has won at an ATP 1000 event after losing the first set.

Among all men’s players since 1990 with a minimum of 20 completed matches, Alcaraz (48.1%, 13-14) only trails great rival Jannik Sinner (48.6%, 17-18) for the best win rate after falling behind.