What position on the ATP list holds Jannik Sinner after his Mimi Open win?
The Italian wins his second Masters 1,000 in two sets and 73 minutes against Georgi Dimitrov and overtakes Alcaraz, who falls to third on the rankings.
Jannik Sinner made a substantial impact on the tennis world this past Sunday. The 22-year-old Italian won his second Masters 1,000 title in Miami, following his championship win in Canada last year. Thanks to his points in the American tournament and Carlos Alcaraz’s defeat in the quarterfinals, Sinner surpassed the Spaniard in the ATP world rankings to claim the second spot, pushing his rival down to third place. In the final, Sinner defeated Grigor Dimitrov, who had earlier eliminated Alcaraz, scoring 6-3 and 6-1 in just 73 minutes. This victory confirms Sinner’s position as the season’s best player so far.
Jannik has just won his third final at the Miami Open after losing in the finals against Hubert Hurkacz in 2021 and Daniil Medvedev in 2023. In the semifinals on Saturday, he avenged his 2023 loss by sweeping Medvedev. Jannik has been in great form lately, winning 25 out of his last 26 matches since the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, where he was the champion with Italy. He has also won the Australian Open and the Rotterdam tournaments this season and was a semi-finalist at Indian Wells. In the early rounds of Miami, Jannik seemed to be struggling after his tactical change in Indian Wells against Alcaraz, which was unexpected. He had to come back against the Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, and it was only in the quarterfinals against Machac that he raised his level of play. Since then, he has not lost a set and only lost 13 games. His victory was similar to Djokovic’s in that he improved as the tournament went on, possibly reserving energy and quality.
Sinner, far superior
Dimitrov, who won the ATP Finals in 2017, returned to the Top 10 after over six years. However, he was beaten by Sinner in the third round of the Miami Open last year. Sinner beat him again in Beijing and was much superior to the Bulgarian player. Sinner played aggressively, targeting Dimitrov’s backhand and using parallel blows with great precision.
Though Grigor had a chance to take the lead in the first set with a break point, he couldn’t convert it, and Sinner dominated the match. At the trophy presentation, Dimitrov told Sinner, “It’s a pleasure to see you, although not to play against you.”
Sinner, the first Italian champion in Miami and head of the circuit in 2024, said, “I am very proud, not only for the result but also for the way I managed everything. I started the week suffering a little, I didn’t have much time to adapt to the slopes. As the tournament progressed, I felt better.”