Jannik Sinner conquers Miami and completes US Masters 1000 double by beating Lehecka
The Italian dominated the final in Miami, overcoming Czech Lehecka and closing in on number one Alcaraz, with a solid performance despite rain interruptions
Sinner also wins in Miami after Indian Wells, and is doubling up in the American Masters 1000: he beats the Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 and secures the thousand points that bring him closer to Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one, who exited the tournament in the third round (defeated by Korda). In a match that started late due to rain and then was interrupted after the 6-4 first set for the same reason, Lehecka - at his first final in a Thousand - tried to counter Sinner's superiority from the back court with forays at the net. The Italian's asphyxiating pressing, on the other hand, did not leave him many other possibilities: when the exchange lengthened, Jannik's winner came or his opponent's error.
The first set
In the first set, the break against the Czech came as early as 1-all, there were two set points (cancelled) at 5-3, then Sinner closed the accounts in the next game. At 2-1, the South Tyrolean only recovered 0-40 with his serve (including first serves and aces, one of the ten of the match): an increasingly powerful weapon, as demonstrated by the fact that he has never lost a set in this tournament and in the previous one, in California.
The second set
The second set was more balanced, Lehecka succeeded in nullifying the break points that Sinner procured, and at 4-3 and 0-30 in his favour he could try to overturn the trend of the match, but then the Italian with his usual ace and a short ball (with a lob to follow) extinguished his opponent's hopes. He then definitively cancelled them out on 4 par, snatching his serve and closing on the first of two match points with a forehand volley. It was a clear success, more so than the score says, with the weights on the court clearly far apart.
Satisfaction
Sinner's satisfaction is immense, even if he shows it in his usual restrained manner: "The thing that makes me happiest is the tennis we are trying to achieve," he said at the end of the match addressing the team, recalling that last year he was unable to participate in the competition here in Florida. Next Sunday, 5 April, meanwhile, it is already clay-court time: the Montecarlo tournament gets underway.
