The Italian second seed dispatched Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4) in Friday night’s semifinal at the Miami Open presented by Itaú, booking his place in Sunday’s final against Czech upstart Jiri Lehecka and putting himself within one match of becoming the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the coveted “Sunshine Double” — winning both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season.
“Coming here, trying to produce some good tennis, that was my main goal,” Sinner said after the win. “Standing here again, in the final, means very, very much to me.” Sinner’s serving was the defining weapon of the night. He won 79 percent of his first-serve points and struck 15 aces to Zverev’s five, while saving both break points he faced and converting one of his four break opportunities.
In the opening set, Sinner faced an early break point but responded by stepping up his aggression, capitalizing on a dip in Zverev’s first-serve effectiveness to break for a 3-1 lead. The Italian never looked back. The second set was tighter. Zverev ramped up his intensity and fended off two break points at 4-4, but Sinner remained composed throughout, forcing a tiebreak where he claimed a decisive 5-4 lead after Zverev mishit an overhead.
Sinner extended his winning streak against Zverev to seven consecutive matches, including two victories this year alone. He is also riding a remarkable run of 30 consecutive sets won at the ATP Masters 1000 level, stretching back to his title at the Rolex Paris Masters. On the other side of the draw, Czech 21st seed Jiri Lehecka cruised into his first Masters 1000 final with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over France’s Arthur Fils.
Sunday’s final will see Sinner attempt to become just the eighth man in ATP Tour history to win both legs of the Sunshine Double in the same year — and he has not dropped a single set across his 11 matches on US soil this spring. Lehecka’s path to the final was anything but easy, with his three-set win over Taylor Fritz in the Round of 16 marking his ninth career top-ten victory — a remarkable achievement for the 24-year-old, who will leave Miami with a new career-high ranking regardless of Sunday’s result.
The men’s singles final is set for Sunday, March 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami
