Jannik Sinner beats Jiri Lehecka in rain-hit Miami final to capture ‘Sunshine Double’
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Jannik Sinner of Italy hits a forehand against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic during the final of the men’s singles final of the Miami Open.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MIAMI – World No. 2 Jannik Sinner relished in a “special moment” as he powered past Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Masters 1000 event for a second time on March 29, adding the title to his Indian Wells crown.
The Italian had to wait out rain delays before and during the match to complete his “Sunshine Double”, becoming the first man to sweep the elite hard-court tournaments in California and Florida since Roger Federer in 2017 and the first to do so without dropping a set.
Sinner – who won Miami in 2024 but missed it in 2025 as he served a three-month doping ban – has now won three straight Masters 1000 events, starting with a victory in Paris in 2025.
“It’s a very, very special moment,” he said.
“Coming here, performing again in a very good way after Indian Wells means a lot to me. It’s something I never would’ve thought (I’d win) because it’s difficult to achieve.”
Sinner’s victory, coupled with Aryna Sabalenka’s triumph over Coco Gauff on March 28, marked the first time the Indian Wells-Miami sweep was achieved on the men’s and women’s sides since Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka did it in 2016.
It also saw the Italian gain a bit on Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz – who was upset in the third round – in the race for world No. 1 as the clay-court season beckons.
Early showers saw the match delayed for more than an hour. Sinner had just pocketed the first set when the showers hit again, halting the match for 90 minutes.
But it was not enough to unsettle the 24-year-old, who fired 10 aces and won 33 of 36 points when he put his first serve in play.
His return game was also spot on as he handed 22nd-ranked Czech Lehecka, who has since risen to world No. 14, his first service break of the tournament for a 2-1 lead in the opening frame.
Sinner trailed 0-40 in the following game but fired three service winners and a pair of aces to hold.
“I tried to be focused,” he added.
“I tried to understand why I missed the first serves before. In the beginning, the conditions were very different ... very, very heavy balls. I missed a couple of first serves in the net because they were quite heavy.”
Lehecka fought off five more break points before Sinner pounced for the lone break of the second set and a 5-4 lead, the 24-year-old Czech gifting Sinner a break chance with a loose forehand.
Sinner did not face a break point in the second set and gave himself a match point with a forehand volley winner, thought he had it on a serve that was called a let, and polished it off with another winner at the net. AFP
