By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Jannik Sinner scored a 6-4, 6-2 win over Tomas Machac to charge into his seventh Masters 1000 semifinal and improve to an ATP-best 20-1 in 2024.
Photo credit: Miami Open/Hard Rock Stadium
Sliding into a slick one-handed backhand flick, Jannik Sinner mesmerized Miami fans and bewildered Tomas Machac at times.
A streaking Sinner broke serve four times decoding Machac 6-4, 6-2 to sail into his third Miami Open semifinal.
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Australian Open champion Sinner raised his 2024 record to an ATP-best 20-1—he’s the first man to win 20 matches this season.
“I can be proud,” Sinner told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “It has been a great match from my side, very happy for him and I have a feeling he’s gonna have a really good year.”
It’s the seventh Masters 1000 semifinal for Sinner, who was runner-up to Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 Miami final.
The two Grand Slam champions could square off in Miami semifinal rematch of the Australian Open final if Medvedev defeats 22nd-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry in tonight’s quarterfinal.
The third-seeded Medvedev is bidding to defend an ATP title for the first time, winning all 20 of his career championships in 20 different cities.
“Let’s see who wins, any way it’s a really tough match, both ways if it’s Daniil or if it’s Jarry,” Sinner said. “Hopefully if I play against Daniil it’s if he plays in the same way the first two sets like in Melbourne it was over in like an hour.
“So I have to be really careful. But every match is different. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully it’s going to be a good match, which is most important, not only for us players but for the fans.”
Though Sinner has yet to win the Miami Open, it’s been a home-away-from home tournament for the Italian, who prefers the speedy surface and has posted a 17-3 with two trips to the finals in Miami Gardens.
Machac was serving at 2-all when Sinner conjured the magic.
Extending the point, Sinner snuck a sliding one-handed flick backhand pass down the line. The Czech withstood the pressure holding for 3-2.
Sinner was working the Machac forehand over and drew dividends breaking for 4-3.
The second-seeded Sinner stamped a love hold for a one-set lead after 53 minutes of play.
The 22-year–old Sinner spent much of the second set breaking down the Machac forehand. Sinner broke to start the second set then threw down successive love holds for a one-set, 3-1 lead.
Sinner converted his second match point sealing a 91-minute victory.
“I just came here knowing in my mind that this is a new challenge for me, a new opportunity to make something happen, no?" Sinner said. "Again here in the semifinals, it's a great result already. I'm looking forward for the next round, because it's going to be a really tough match. And that's it, no?
Last year I lost in semis in Indian Wells. I came here and made finals. This year I'm again in the semis here after I lost the semis in Indian Wells, so, you know, I'm just trying to get better as a player, honestly. That's the only thing matters for me."