Frances Tiafoe admits Jannik Sinner was too strong in Miami

Frances Tiafoe had no answers for Jannik Sinner, who cruised into the Miami Open semi-finals with a dominant performance.

Sinner gave up just two games against Tiafoe, setting up an enticing semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev. The Italian hasn’t faced much resistance so far in Miami and looks on course to become the first player since Novak Djokovic in 2016 to complete the Sunshine Double.

Sinner has been in superb form throughout the tournament, and after their match, Tiafoe spoke about what it’s like facing someone playing at that level.

Frances Tiafoe explains why Jannik Sinner is such a difficult opponent

Tiafoe struggled to find any real answers during the match, falling behind early in both sets and never really managing to recover.

Even after a tough loss, he chose to highlight Sinner’s performance rather than focus on his own shortcomings.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Tiafoe said: “No excuses. The guy is a hell of a player. He has showed it against everyone. I was not at my sharpest but he still put me in really, really tough positions.”

This defeat marked Tiafoe’s third consecutive loss to Sinner, and he pointed out what makes playing against the Italian particularly challenging.

“The biggest thing I can think of is scoreboard pressure. He is number one or two in the world. He is a great front runner. That was the biggest issue today. Getting broken early in both sets.”

Tiafoe also touched on how scoreboard pressure played into his defeat, getting broken early in both sets and struggling to recover from there.

Sinner has now won five straight matches over Tiafoe since losing their first meeting at the Vienna Open back in 2021.

When was the last time Jannik Sinner lost a set at an ATP 1000 event?

Sinner’s straight-sets win over Tiafoe in Miami extended his streak to 30 consecutive sets won at Masters level.

It’s a remarkable run that dates back to the 2025 Shanghai Masters, the last time he lost a set at this level. That came in the third round, where he had to retire against Tallon Griekspoor due to cramp in the deciding set.

Since then, Sinner has been flawless, winning both the Paris Masters and Indian Wells without dropping a single set along the way.

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