Jannik Sinner powers past Alex Michelsen to reach Miami quarter-finals

MIAMI – Jannik Sinner played well in the “tough moments” as he powered into the Miami Open quarter-finals on March 24, defeating unseeded Alex Michelsen in straight sets to stay on course for the “Sunshine Double”.

The Italian second seed, bidding to follow up his triumph at Indian Wells with victory in Miami, bided his time before completing a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) win in 1hr 41min.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who will face 19th seed Frances Tiafoe in the last eight, was made to work hard by the 40th-ranked Michelsen.

After a cagey opening set, the American hit back, breaking Sinner for a 4-2 lead before holding to go 5-2 up.

But he appeared to struggle with the bright late-afternoon sunlight on the Hard Rock Stadium’s main court and Sinner came roaring back to force a tiebreak.

The 24-year-old then sealed the win with a thumping serve which Michelsen could only return wide.

“I feel like I served very well in important moments and that helped me out, especially in the tough moments,” said Sinner, who hit 15 aces to the American’s three.

“But today was not easy – I played a night match yesterday and today in the daytime, so the conditions were very different.”

Home hope Tiafoe advanced to his quarter-final date with Sinner after battling past France’s Terence Atmane 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce, ranked 151st in the world, upset American 32nd seed Sebastian Korda to score a 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 victory.

The win marked another impressive victory for the 20-year-old Spaniard, who eliminated Russian 14th seed Karen Khachanov earlier in the tournament. He will now take on Czech 21st seed Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals.

Lehecka booked his place by ousting sixth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 in 2hr 25min.

“I just felt that in the third set, if I wanted to beat a guy like Taylor, I just needed to go for it and be aggressive,” he said.

American 22nd seed Tommy Paul set up a quarter-final against France’s Arthur Fils after cruising past Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 6-3.

The Frenchman beat Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.

Argentina’s 18th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo followed up his upset of Daniil Medvedev on March 23 with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over French 31st seed Ugo Humbert.

He will face Alexander Zverev in the last eight after the German third seed defeated France’s Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1).

In the women’s draw, Karolina Muchova needed all of her experience to hold off rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), booking a place in her first Miami Open semi-final after a match which she admitted could have gone either way.

“It was very close, basically one point at the end. It can always change in tennis. I’m just very grateful I was able to win the last point,” the 29-year-old Czech said after a hard-fought contest that lasted 1hr 47min.

In the semi-finals on March 26, world No. 14 Muchova will face Coco Gauff after the fourth-ranked American battled past Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in three sets to take a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win.

AFP, REUTERS