MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jannik Sinner is starting to dominate.
Sinner overwhelmed third-seeded Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-2 on Friday in the semifinals of the Miami Open.
The second-seeded Sinner, rock-solid with his firecracker forehand, became the first man to reach back-to-back Miami Open finals since John Isner (2018-2019). In last year’s Miami final, Medvedev prevailed over Sinner at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
This time, Medvedev’s three games tied his career low for wins in a match.
Sinner began his revenge against Medvedev by beating him in the Australian Open final in January, rallying from two sets down, and setting the stage for a wonderful 2024 campaign.
Sinner will play the winner of the second semifinal between No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev and 11th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov.
This match was a lot easier in the 80-degree South Florida heat as the Italian jumped to a 5-0 lead at the outset in posting two straight breaks of the Russian’s serve. It was over in 69 minutes.
“This year I have another chance,” Sinner said in the on-court interview. “I don’t think he played his best tennis and I tried to stay focused and in my rhythm.”
In breaking Medvedev four times in the match, Sinner moved his 2024 record to 21-1; his only loss coming in the Indian Wells final to Carlos Alcaraz.
In the match’s second game, Sinner hit a cross-court forehand winner on a third break point for a 2-0 lead. Medvedev motioned a thumbs down at his player’s box.
The Italian went up 4-0 after cashing on his fourth break point of the game, flicking away a short ball by Medvedev, who was flustered by two net cords during the game.
Sinner broke Medvedev in the first game of the second set and was on his way. Late in the second set, down 5-1, Medvedev heard jeers and whistles when he appeared to frustratingly hit a ball back to a ball girl with extra zest.
On the night card, Zverev goes in with a 7-1 lead over Dimitrov in the head-to-head series, with Dimitrov’s lone victory in 2014.
Dimitrov beat No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. The 20-year-old Spaniard said of Dimitrov afterward, “He played amazing tennis, almost perfect. I couldn’t find solutions.”
The women’s final is set for Saturday when American Danielle Collins faces No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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