Jannik Sinner continued his successful 2024 by beating 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 to claim the Miami Open championship.
Sinner, the 2024 Australian Open champion, showed excellent form in the 79-degree weather and improved his overall record to 22-1 for the year by securing his first Miami Open title. Sinner was a runner-up in 2021 and 2023.
In his second consecutive appearance in the Miami Open finals (after losing last year to Daniil Medvedev), the 22-year-old displayed great confidence despite the crowd supporting the underdog from Bulgaria. Sinner sealed the victory in 1 hour, 13 minutes with a backhand winner.
Sinner only lost seven games in total during the semifinals and finals.
Sinner expressed his delight, saying, “This was my third time in the final and I thought this one would be my lucky one. I'm really happy to lift the big trophy.”
Throughout the match at the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, chants of “Gri-gor’’ filled the air as Dimitrov, who had caused upsets by defeating top seed Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, garnered significant attention this week.
Dimitrov remarked, “I felt like a rock star these days.’’
Dimitrov, who is 10 years older than Sinner at 32, will enter the top 10 rankings for the first time since 2018.
“Sadly, the age gap made a significant difference today,” Dimitrov stated. “Clearly, it's Jannik’s week. He's been playing amazing tennis.”
Sinner achieved a career milestone, climbing from No. 3 to 2 — the highest ranking of his young career and in Italian history.
“It means a lot to me,’’ Sinner remarked. “More importantly, it was a great performance for me. Being No. 2 is an amazing feeling, and I never thought I would reach this point. I come from a very normal family, and both my dad and mom are still working.’’
Sinner, who was never broken and faced just one break point, remained unfazed by the supportive crowd and could emerge as an early favorite for the upcoming French Open.
In April, the men’s tour shifts to the clay-court season in Europe, culminating with the French Open at Roland Garros, which begins on May 20.
Sinner noted, “The clay-court season is approaching, and I usually struggle there. Let’s see what I can accomplish this year. Time is limited, and we start practicing with less than a week to get accustomed to the clay.”
Sinner claimed his first major title at the Australian Open, then secured the Rotterdam title, and was a finalist in Indian Wells. His sole defeat in 2024 was in the Indian Wells final against Alcaraz.
Dimitrov won the first eight points on his serve, holding at love in each game. However, he was broken at 2-2 when he attempted to play too stylishly.
During a long rally, Dimitrov made an error with a drop shot into the net. Additionally, he approached the net twice and was outplayed by two skillful passing shots from Sinner. While Dimitrov possesses a solid net game, Sinner is arguably the best passer in tennis.
“He's the kind of player who takes the lead,” Dimitrov commented. “If he's ahead, I believe his confidence grows even further. Right now, he's playing at a consistent level.”
Dimitrov's chances in the second set vanished when he was broken at 2-1. Sinner maintained deep shots for the final two rallies of the game, causing Dimitrov to make errors into the net. At 4-1, Dimitrov was broken again after making a mistake with an easy volley.
Darren Cahill, who has been coaching Sinner for two years and used to play on tour and work as an analyst for ESPN, mentioned that he has made some small improvements to Sinner’s game and built his confidence.
The women from America achieved a complete victory. During the women's singles final, Danielle Collins emerged as the winner. In the women's doubles final on Sunday, Americans Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands came from behind to defeat Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) 4-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 in a match tiebreaker in the third set.
The male American players did not do well in Miami, as none of them were able to reach the round of 16 in the singles competition.