Miami: World No. 2 Jannik Sinner continued his impressive run on the ATP Tour, extending his winning streak over fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev to seven matches on Friday to book his place in the final of the Miami Open.
The 24-year-old Italian produced a commanding display, firing 15 aces to secure a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory in one hour and 53 minutes. The win also extended Sinner’s remarkable run of consecutive sets won at the Masters 1000 level to 32.
Sinner will now face Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in the final, as he aims to complete the coveted “Sunshine Double”, winning both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season — a feat last achieved by Roger Federer in 2017.
“Standing here again in a final means very much to me,” Sinner said after the match. “We’ll try to push in a couple of days, but in any case it has been an incredible swing.”
The reigning Wimbledon Championships champion, who has already claimed four Grand Slam titles, had also defeated Zverev in the semi-finals at Indian Wells earlier this month. He is now targeting his second Miami Open title in three years.
“Coming here, trying to produce some good tennis, that was my main goal,” Sinner added. “Trying to play as many matches as possible. I couldn’t do better. I’m very happy.”
In the semi-final, Sinner broke early in the opening set, converting a forehand winner to take a 3-1 lead before closing out the set in 42 minutes with a service winner. The second set remained on serve throughout, forcing a tie-break where a costly overhead error from Zverev handed the Italian a crucial advantage.
Zverev, who last defeated Sinner at the US Open in 2023, sent a backhand wide on the following point, allowing Sinner to seal victory with another service winner and improve his head-to-head record against the German to 8-4.
“Today has been a very tough encounter. He played some incredible tennis,” Sinner said. “I was serving very well, especially in the crucial moments, so I’m very happy.”
Sinner will be chasing the 26th ATP title of his career in what will be his 35th final on the tour.
Meanwhile, Lehecka advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 final with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over France’s Arthur Fils in the other semi-final at Hard Rock Stadium.
The 21st seed, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament, produced a clinical performance, breaking his opponent four times to wrap up the match in just 75 minutes.
“It feels great. It’s definitely something I’ve been working towards the whole year and the whole pre-season,” Lehecka said. “I really trusted my game and the work I put in.”
The Czech player is guaranteed to rise from his current career-high ranking of 16th to at least 14th in the next ATP rankings, with a potential jump to 12th should he claim the title.
Lehecka will be seeking his third ATP title, having previously triumphed in Adelaide in 2024 and Brisbane in 2025. Sunday’s final will mark the eighth of his career, but his first at Masters 1000 level.
Despite his strong run, Lehecka faces a daunting challenge against Sinner, having lost all three of their previous meetings without winning a set.
“He’s an incredible player,” Sinner said of his opponent. “He’s going to be for sure more free than me, but I’ll try to control whatever I can, and we’ll see how it goes.”
In the women’s draw, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will attempt to defend her title against American fourth seed Coco Gauff in Saturday’s final, with both players also eyeing a rare Sunshine Double.
