Following Indian Wells, both the ATP and WTA tours shifted to Miami, with an exciting field of the world’s best tennis players preparing for the second half of the Sunshine Double.
Jannik Sinner, the world No. 2 from Italy, closed out the Miami Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Czech world No. 21 Jiří Lehečka, completing the Double in commanding fashion. More importantly, he did it without dropping a single set across either tournament. This makes Sinner the first man to ever complete the Sunshine Double without losing a set.
The final itself was tighter than the score suggests. Lehečka, 24, entered Sunday playing at an extremely high level. He had not been broken all tournament and had saved 9/9 break points at entering the final, relying on a serve that had carried him through to his first Masters 1000 final.
Early on, it looked like he might test Sinner’s level. After Sinner secured an early break to go up 2-1 in the first set, Lehečka immediately put pressure on the Italian’s serve, jumping out to love -40. This was a match-defining moment.
The Italian froze the opposition with five straight points, derailing the momentum for Lehečka.
This sequence summarized the match. When the world No. 21 generated an opportunity, Sinner quickly erased it.
Even earlier in the tournament, there were moments where Sinner’s 34-set streak at 1000 Masters events was tested. In the Round of 16, American world No. 40 Alex Michelsen pushed Sinner to the brink, serving for the second set at 5-3 after jumping out to a 5-2 lead. The world No. 2 delivered the same way he has through this run. He broke Michelsen’s serve for the match, forced a tiebreak, and closed out the match.
Aside from winning Miami and Indian Wells, Sinner also won Paris Masters last year, which is where the legendary streak started. With the clay season underway and 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome, Sinner will look to continue his streak to prepare for Roland Garros in June.
Sinner has dictated the baseline, displayed exemplary ball placement, and broken down each and every opponent in his way.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka matched Sinner’s Sunshine Double. The world No. 1 from Belarus defeated American world no. 4 Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to defend her Miami Open title and complete the Double.
She controlled the opening set with pace and depth, but Gauff responded in the second, extending rallies and forcing errors to level the match at a set a piece. With the head-to-head record between the two tied 6-6 entering the final, and Gauff holding a win over Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final, the third set carried weight. Entering the final, Gauff boasted a remarkable 9-0 record in finals at hard-court events.
However, Sabalenka grabbed control back, breaking Gauff in the opening game of the set. She shortened the rally length, worked her way inside the baseline with consistency, and showed much more discipline. Sabalenka’s control allowed her to pick her moments instead of forcing them, and she closed out the match comfortably.
Her semifinal win over world No. 2 Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan added another layer to the run, continuing what has become one of the defining rivalries on the WTA Tour this season.
Three Sunshine Doubles were completed across the tournament, with Kateřina Siniaková (World No. 2 in doubles from Czech) and Taylor Townsend (World No. 5 in doubles from USA) capturing the Miami title following their Indian Wells victory.
Sinner and Sabalenka continue their dominant starts to the season, looking to separate themselves as we enter the clay season.
With a favorable points stretch ahead (Sinner will be within just 190 points short of Alcaraz once Monte Carlos begins on April 5), the Italian will look to reclaim his spot as Sabalenka will defend her 76-week streak at the world No. 1 position.
