Daily Times

MIAMI: Daniil Medvedev beat Italy’s Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-3 to win the Miami Open on Sunday for his fourth title of the year and 19th overall. The jubilant fourth seed pumped his fist after pounding an unreturnable serve on match point to seal the win on a hot and humid day at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida. The Russian was playing in his fifth consecutive final after triumphs in Doha, Rotterdam and Dubai before finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells two weeks ago. Medvedev said he was fortunate that Sinner had to come through a physical, three-set battle in the semi-final on Friday night against top seed Alcaraz. “I think everyone enjoyed the semi-final against Carlos, it was amazing,” Medvedev said at the trophy ceremony, where he collected nearly $1.3 million in prize money. “I’m probably a little bit lucky because at that point I was already in bed watching you run all over the place, both of you. I know it is not easy to recover after such a match.”

Medvedev, who called himself a “hardcourt specialist” when loudly complaining about the slow speed of the courts in Indian Wells, said he was grateful for the faster surfaces in Miami. “I can handle myself and be calm on the court when I feel like it is a real hardcourt,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know who makes these decisions but thanks a lot to everyone who made this court this year. I was really happy to play on it.” The tour now moves to the clay court season, a surface Medvedev has not enjoyed his best form on. “Now clay season starts so let’s see how you do there,” Sinner said with a smile. “But I wish you all the best.”

Medvedev answers: Sinner took an early lead when he grabbed the first service break of the match with a shoestring volley for a 3-2 lead. But as he would all day long, Medvedev answered right back, breaking to level at 3-3 when Sinner’s forehand hit the net cord and landed out of bounds. Sinner, 21, appeared to struggle in the sweltering conditions and called on the trainer for some assistance before eighth game. After the match he said that he woke up feeling sick and was not able to play his best tennis. Serving to stay in the set at 6-5, Sinner shanked a backhand that gave Medvedev two set point opportunities and he converted the first one when the 10th seed’s errant forehand found the net.

Medvedev broke Sinner for 3-1 in the second set and cruised from there, his powerful groundstrokes and impenetrable defense carrying him to the finish. Medvedev was also the beneficiary of 36 unforced errors by Sinner, who won fewer than a third of his second serve points. With the win Medvedev earned his fifth Masters 1000 title and improved to 6-0 lifetime against Sinner. He is 24-1 since January’s Australian Open. Sinner, who also made the Miami final in 2021, is still searching for his first Masters 1000 title.