Jannik Sinner completes historic Sunshine Double with Miami Open win
Jannik Sinner has completed a historic ‘Sunshine Double’ by defeating Jiri Lehecka to win the Miami Open without dropping a single set, intensifying his rivalry with world number one Carlos Alcaraz.
The 24-year-old Italian secured a 6-4 6-4 victory over the Czech 21st seed in a rain-interrupted final on the Florida hard courts.
His latest triumph follows a flawless campaign at Indian Wells, making him the first man to capture both prestigious tournaments consecutively without losing a set.
The imperious nature of this achievement serves as a stark reminder of the widening gulf between the top two players and the rest of the men’s tour.
Closing the gap at the summit
Securing the trophy in Miami has allowed the world number two to reduce the deficit to Alcaraz at the top of the rankings to just 1,190 points.
The Spaniard suffered a surprise third-round exit at the tournament, allowing his closest rival to make significant ground.
With the European clay-court swing rapidly approaching, the pair are destined to resume their battle for the sport’s biggest prizes.
“It has been an incredible swing for me and I’m extremely happy with the work we did to be in this position.”
Jannik Sinner
The Italian has now won 34 consecutive sets at Masters events.
This astonishing run joins him with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the only men to claim three consecutive titles at this tier.
A metronomic serving masterclass
Since experiencing defeats earlier in the season, the lightning-fast baseliner has relied heavily on the improved reliability of his delivery.
Metronomic precision with his opening shot laid the foundation for his success against Lehecka, where he won 92% of his first-serve points.
Hitting 70 aces over six matches marked the highest tally of his career in a three-set tournament format.
The formidable server dropped his service game only once throughout his entire flawless Miami campaign.
When facing three break points at 0-40 in the opening set of the final, he produced five inch-perfect deliveries to effortlessly escape the danger.
This remarkable ability to serve his way out of trouble drew immediate comparisons to the legendary Roger Federer at his peak.
