Jannik Sinner is in the final. © APA / ELSA

The Sinner magic in the magical city

Like many US cities, Miami also has a second name: Magic City. The greatest magician in the metropolis was in the impressive Hard Rock Stadium this Friday and his name was Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old showed an incredible performance in the semifinals of the 1000 Masters tournament against Daniil Medvedev.

March 29, 2024

From: leo

The rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev is strange. If the Russian won the first six duels, the South Tyrolean won the last four - including this year's final of the Australian Open. The last time that the Muscovite reached third place in the world rankings. was able to defeat, of all things, in the Miami final of the previous year. But Medvedev couldn't buy any of that and received a nasty rebuff on Friday. An incredible Sinner prevailed 3:6 and 1:6 and will face either Alexander Zverev (ATP 2) or Grigor Dimitrov (ATP 5) in the final on Sunday, who will duel on Saturday night.

As in the final of the Australian Open, Medvedev chose very aggressive tactics. However, Sinner had already announced before the match that he would prepare for it so as not to be surprised again. He followed up his words with actions. He always returned the ball with an excellent length, which made it difficult for Medvedev to get on the offensive. The Russian was forced to take greater risks, but this resulted in countless errors - especially on the forehand side. At the same time, Sinner was highly concentrated on both the serve and the return.

A class difference

Medvedev felt his opponent's breath in front of tennis legend Serena Williams and immediately received a break in the first service game. After Sinner changed the re-break immediately afterwards, there was no going back. The youngster started to show off while the 28-year-old gestured frustratedly towards his wife Daria and his trainer Gilles Cervara. Another break meant losing the set 1:6.

Anyone who thought that a Medvedev reaction would now follow was disappointed. The fantastic player from Sexten grabbed the next break in the first service game. No matter whether on the forehand or the backhand, whether with the serve or the return, Sinner was superior to his opponent in all respects. The 17-year-old won 22 of 12 rallies over nine shots - and that against probably the toughest player on the tour.

With the score at 2:1 from his point of view, Sinner had to survive a first difficult phase when he granted a break point. But the serve came to the rescue of the South Tyrolean. When he ran away to 4-1 shortly afterwards, the cake was eaten. After just 69 minutes, Sinner used his first match point and moved into the final in Miami for the third time.