Sinner shines to storm to Miami title

It was third time lucky for Jannik Sinner at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday when the Italian defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 to win his first trophy at the hard-court event and his second ATP Masters 1000 crown overall.

The Italian suffered final defeats in South Florida in 2021 and 2023 but has shown he is a different beast in 2024, entering Sunday’s final holding a 21-1 record on the year. High in confidence, Sinner ensured history did not repeat itself on Sunday, producing a clean and aggressive performance to clinch his third title of the season after one hour and 14 minutes.

"I'm really proud obviously about the result," Sinner said. "I started off struggling a little bit this week. I haven't had so much time to adapt on this court, so I knew in the beginning that it's going to be tough. As the tournament went on, I felt better and better. Today's performance was really, really good. I'm just proud how I handled the situation. It was not easy, so it was a very, very good two weeks."

Sinner, who struck 15 winners according to Infosys ATP Stats, will rise to a career-high No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his triumph. The 22-year-old is the first Italian to climb to No. 2 and is the first Italian to claim multiple Masters 1000 titles. He has also extended his lead for most tour-level trophies by an Italian in the Open Era to 13.

Earlier this season, Sinner won his maiden major title at the Australian Open and clinched the crown at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. He has now won two ATP Masters 1000 titles, having lifted the trophy in Toronto last season.

MOMENTOUS IN MIAMI 🏆

Sinner secures his second Masters title 👏@miamiopen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/IaoE80EEuE

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 31, 2024

The player to beat this season, Sinner produced watertight tennis throughout the fortnight in Miami. He dropped just one set en route to the title and downed Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-2 in the last four. Sinner has now won 25 of his past 26 matches. The key to his success has been staying in the moment.

"Staying in the present moment. What it has been, it has been. I just try to improve... And also enjoying the moment. This is a special moment," Sinner said. "You never know if this is the last time or not. So you have to enjoy this for one day, and now a new chapter is coming, clay-court [season] is coming, so completely different. Let's see how I will play from now on. But for sure, the hard-court season until now has been very good."

Dimitrov also produced his best level in Miami. He attacked second serves and looked sharp at net to dispatch Top 10 stars Hubert Hurkacz, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev en route to his third Masters 1000 final.

The Bulgarian, who is up to No. 9 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following his run, fell in the championship match in Paris last year. His maiden triumph at this level came in 2017 when he won Cincinnati.

Earlier this season the 32-year-old broke his six-year wait for a title when he lifted the trophy in Brisbane. He entered the final against Sinner high in confidence and form but after a positive start, which led to him creating a break point in the third game, he could not live with Sinner's level. The Italian was the more consistent from the baseline and soaked up Dimitrov’s power to improve to 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

First Set
In a tight first set, Sinner struggled to find his rhythm in the opening exchanges, with Dimitrov holding comfortably before he created the first break point opportunity of the match at 1-2, 30/40. After a lengthy exchange, Dimitrov could only push a forehand wide, with Sinner going on to hold.

The Italian then made his mark on the match, hitting a forehand pass to move to break point himself. Sinner took full advantage, striking a forehand winner down the line to move 3-2 ahead. The 22-year-old, who hit 10 winners in the set and committed eight unforced errors, was solid on serve to see home his lead.

Second Set
After taking the lead, Sinner raced away in the second set. He struck the ball aggressively down the middle of the court to limit angles for Dimitrov, who struggled to stop Sinner's momentum. The Italian won 100 per cent (8/8) of his second-serve points in the set and took time away from Dimitrov with his devastating hitting to overpower the Bulgarian.