Italy’s Jannik Sinner was at his best against Carlos Alcaraz as he defeated the red-hot Spaniard 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Miami Open. Sinner broke Alcaraz’s serve in the fourth game of the opening set but the latter got back into the match as he broke the Italian serve in the seventh game.
Both the youngsters produced high quality tennis in the opening set but Alcaraz was the one who won it in the tiebreaker. However, Sinner was able to bounce back in the second set and then also clinched the third set convincingly as Alcaraz struggled with cramps.
“It means a lot. We both played a very, very high level of tennis again. I just tried my best,” Sinner said after advancing to his second ATP Masters 1000 final, both in Miami. “In the third set I saw him struggle a little bit for a couple of games so I tried to push there… We both tried to play very aggressive tennis and today it went my way so I’m very happy.”
Meanwhile, Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev in the Miami Open final. The duo recently met in the Rotterdam final, in which the Russian won. In fact, Medvedev enjoys a 5-0 H2H record against the youngster.
“Different conditions than in Rotterdam. I’m very happy that I can face him in a final again,” Sinner said, looking ahead to the matchup. “The last one I lost obviously, but I’ll try my best, I’ll try to make some good changes like today against Carlos and let’s see. I feel good on this court. I have very good memories and hopefully I can show some good tennis.”
On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz was disappointed after his loss. With this loss, Alcaraz will lose his number-one ranking to Novak Djokovic.
“I had my opportunities to break in the second set and serving for the match, but really against Sinner is always a tough battle,” the 19-year-old said. “It’s tough to put into words but I think it was a great match for both.
“I don’t think about that I lost the No. 1, I lost the Sunshine Double. Of course it’s a shame, but I think I’m gonna have more years to try to get it.
“I feel something different about the crowd when I play against Jannik. I think around the world is probably all the people watching this match because I think it’s really beautiful to watch.”
