Jannik Sinner knows all about late-night thrill shows with Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner hopes this Miami Open plot line leads to a semifinal showdown vs. the world No. 1.

The 10th-seeded Sinner endured Emil Ruusuvuori and about a two-hour rain interruption to power into the Miami Open semifinals with a 6-3, 6-1 conquest. Sinner raised his Miami Open record to 12-2.



Intoxicated by their epic clash at the US Open last summer and latest rematch in the Indian Wells semifinals, the tennis world relishes another Alcaraz vs. Sinner showdown. 

So too, does Sinner.

"I said to my team after Indian Wells I would love to play against Carlos, because let's see what's happening, no, but, you know, let's see," Sinner told the media in Miami after defeating Ruusuvuori.

Earlier this month at Indian Wells, Sinner defeated defending champion Taylor Fritz 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 then lost to Alcaraz 7-6(4), 6-3 in the semifinals. The 19-year-old Alcaraz went on to beat Daniil Medvedev and win Indian Wells.



Defending Miami champion Alcaraz must beat Taylor Fritz in tonight's scheduled quarterfinal to make the rematch happen. Sinner said Alcaraz brings more variety to the court, while Fritz is a pure ball striker, who can serve big.

"If I play against Taylor, it is a little bit different than I play against Carlos," Sinner said. "Carlos is, yeah, he can mix up the game a little bit more. Talking about last match, and if we play here, I would be happy to play against him again because I look forward for these kind of matches. As I said there, I feel like he makes me a better player.:

Asked if quicker court conditions could favor him if he meets Alcaraz, Sinner pointed out he has had success on different surface speeds against the US Open champion.

"I won against him on grass. I won against him on clay, and the clay was very slow in Umag," Sinner said. "We played in the evening, and it was quite slow. Here the court is fast. I don't know. I think we both feel good here on these courts. Also, him, I saw him playing his -- he's obviously moving very, very fast and everything, so the court, for sure, is different.

"We will know after the match, but as I said, he has a tough Let's see what's coming here, no? The court is different. Yeah, I'm just looking forward for these kind of matches, no? And then we see the outcome, and if it's good, it's good. If not, we see what we have to improve again."

Photo credit: Matthew Calvis