Jannik Sinner joins elite names with historic Miami Open record

Jannik Sinner kept his hopes of a Sunshine Double alive, getting past Alex Michelsen in straight sets on Tuesday.

Sinner overcame a strong challenge from the American, coming through 7-5, 7-6 to advance to the Miami Open quarterfinals.

It wasn’t straightforward though. Sinner fell behind 2-5 in the second set before rallying to force a tiebreaker and avoid a decider.

The win means Sinner has now reached the Miami Open quarter-finals on all five of his appearances, joining Andy Murray and Mikael Pernfors as the only men to do so since its debut in 1985.

Sinner comments on joining Edberg and Noah in Miami Open history

In his press conference following the match, Sinner was told he’d matched an impressive feat: becoming just the third man to reach the Miami Open quarter-finals on his first five appearances, joining Stefan Edberg and Yannick Noah.

Asked what has contributed to his consistent success in Miami, Sinner gave a thoughtful response.

“It’s tough to say because the earlier times when I played here I played a little bit on the outside, and on the outside it’s very different,” said Sinner.

“There is a lot of breeze and wind at times. Playing here [on the main court] is slightly easier because it blocks a bit.

“The ball is bouncing quite low, which usually helps me, but this year I have found it a bit more difficult for some reason.

Jannik Sinner on his serving and how he felt after the win

“I feel like today especially the serve helped me very much, especially in important moments,” Sinner told Sky Sports after defeating the American.

“At the back of the court I’m not feeling perfect so will try to improve, but I’m happy to fight my way through this one, it was a very tough match and he played some great tennis.

“I’m happy with how I handled the situation, especially in the second set.”

Sinner will hope he can carry his excellent serving into his match with Tiafoe.

He also won 50 per cent of his second serve points and converted two of his seven break-point opportunities.

Read more: