Sinner Continues Dominant Run With Miami Open Title
Jannik Sinner completed the “Sunshine Double” on Sunday as he defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Open title, becoming the first male player since Roger Federer in 2017 to win both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season.
“It means a lot to me. [Winning] the Sunshine Double for the first time, it’s incredible,” said Sinner, who is the first player ever to do so without dropping a set at either event. “It’s something I never would’ve thought [to win] because it’s difficult to achieve. We made it somehow, so I’m very happy.”
Rain forced Sinner and Lehecka to wait nearly 90 minutes for the final to start on Sunday, but the Italian found his footing early on when play began. He broke Lehecka in the Czech’s second service game, and saved multiple break points in his ensuing service game en route to claiming the opener.
In the second set, which was delayed briefly due to rain once again, Sinner broke through at 4-4 to secure the crucial break. In the following game, he served out the set and the championship, winning his 34th consecutive set at the ATP Masters 1000 level.
“I tried to stay solid in very different conditions today, it was very heavy so it’s tough to go through the player,” said Sinner, who is 19-2 on the season. “I tried to stay solid in important moments and I’m very happy to take this [trophy] home with me.”
The victory inches Sinner close to Carlos Alcaraz for the top spot in the ATP World Tour rankings as the Italian has dominated the month of March. Lehecka will move up to a career-high ranking of 14th in the world.
“For me, now the most important thing is to recover and enjoy this moment,” Sinner reflected. “I don’t have a lot of time to adjust, playing on clay, if I want to play Monaco. I have always been someone who thinks in a very present moment. I don’t look in front, but I also don’t look backwards. Whatever comes, comes. I’m very happy about these couple of tournaments, and now a new chapter starts with the clay again. Let’s see how it goes.”
