Jannik Sinner is a man on a mission – a sophisticated winning machine and a cold-blooded tennis killer. The 24-year-old Italian is all of these things and more, and on Sunday he will be aiming to add the Sunshine Double to his ever-growing list of achievements.
The Italian prevailed over Alexander Zverev at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night, weathering every punch the German threw and responding in kind during a tense second set. Sinner’s 6-3, 7-6(4) victory marked his 16th straight straight win at the Masters 1000 level, his 11th straight win in Miami dating back to his 2024 title, and his 11th straight win overall.
Wait, there’s more. Sinner has now won seven consecutive matches against Zverev, thanks in part to a 15-ace performance that, while not always perfect, has certainly hit the highs.
Sinner reaches his fourth Miami Open final and will face Jiri Lehecka, who beat Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-2 earlier on Friday.
The Italian joins Andy Murray and Pete Sampras in the all-time Miami Open finals record and is currently tied for fifth with four appearances, behind Andre Agassi (eight), Novak Djokovic (eight), Rafael Nadal (five) and Roger Federer (five).
He’s only 24 – give the kid some time.
Sinner reached his 35th tour-level final (25-9) and became the eighth man in Masters history to reach 10 ATP Masters 1000 finals on hard courts.
Zverev deserves credit for using his newfound aggression to make the game more competitive. He arguably got off to a faster start, but still found himself a break point behind after Sinner took an early 3-1 lead. That was all the four-time Grand Slam champion needed to take the set.
The second set was more intense and interesting, with Zverev getting his chance. He would regret some mistakes, including a backhand into the net on break point at 3-4 and a costly overhead error in the tiebreak that gave Sinner a 5-3 lead and effectively sealed the match.
Sinner improved his serve in the tie-break, but Zverev could well end the Italian’s winning streak if he seizes the opportunity – and he’s playing so well.
In the end, Zverev suffered another unacceptable defeat. The German is yet to reach the 2026 final, with losses to Carlos Alcaraz (Australian Open, Indian Wells) and Sinner hampering his progress.
Meanwhile, Sinner has only himself to blame for his purple spots. He has bounced back strongly from his early season performances but has not lived up to his lofty expectations and is now in danger of becoming the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the Sunshine Double.
