Jannik Sinner, the Italian tennis player, defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Miami Open semi-final and ended his hopes of winning the “Sunshine Double” and retaining his position as world number one. Sinner won the match 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2 and will face Daniil Medvedev, the Russian tennis player, in the final. Meanwhile, Alcaraz will lose his number one ranking to Novak Djokovic.
The match between Sinner and Alcaraz was an intense and enthralling power-hitting performance. Both players demonstrated high-quality tennis in the first set, with an incredible 25-shot exchange in the seventh game that brought the crowd to their feet. Alcaraz eventually won the first set after a tie-break. However, an inspired Sinner fought back in the second set, breaking in the first game and sensing his moment.
Alcaraz struggled with leg cramps in the third set, causing his movement to be limited, and was eventually broken on his first serve. Despite attempting to recover, he was unable to overcome Sinner, who chose more conservative strokes and won the match after three hours.
Alcaraz expressed disappointment and frustration at his performance, especially after winning the title at Indian Wells and being the defending champion in Miami. He cited his problems as appearing during a bathroom break after the second set. Despite starting to cramp at the beginning of the third set, Alcaraz acknowledged that Sinner was the better player in the third set.
Sinner also suffered from cramping during the second set but managed to recover quickly. He acknowledged the high quality of the match and expressed his readiness to compete in the final.
In the other semi-final, Medvedev defeated fellow Russian Karen Khachanov, winning 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3. Medvedev will be playing in his fifth straight ATP Tour final. He won 82% of his first-serve points in the final set and hit 13 aces, saving four of six break points.
Medvedev and Khachanov played a high-quality match, with several long rallies. Medvedev managed to fend off Khachanov’s powerful shots from the baseline and pinned him back on his service game. The match turned in Medvedev’s favor when he broke Khachanov in the fourth game of the third set. Medvedev expressed relief at winning the match against a player who knows his game so well.
