(Miami)
The Italian Jannik Sinner (11e world) will face Russian Daniil Medvedev in the Miami Open final, after beating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 on Friday in Florida.
After this elimination, the Spaniard will lose from Monday his place of world N.1, in favor of the Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Daniil Medvedev has not won a title in the United States since winning the United States Open in 2021, when he deprived Novak Djokovic of a calendar Grand Slam.
Now the No. 4 Miami Open seed is just one win away from another U.S. title, after beating fellow Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 3-6, 6 -3 in the semi-finals on Friday, the same day Wimbledon announced the Russians would be cleared to play – with conditions.
Medvedev has won 23 of his last 24 games – the only loss being against Alcaraz – and is in his fifth consecutive final.
Medvedev is friends with Khachanov, 14e seed, since childhood, and they are each fierce baseliners, as evidenced by an exchange of 31 shots during the encounter.
Medvedev needed a tiebreaker to win the first set, winning it with the first of his 13 aces in the match. Showing a little more consistency in the second set, Khachanov forced a third set by quickly breaking Medvedev’s serve to make it 2-0.
But Medvedev dominated that third set, and survived an early break point when Khachanov hit a backhand into the doubles lane for a rare unforced error.
Medvedev won the next game to make it 3-1 and earned a marvelous 26-shot rally on his match point. Khachanov put down a bunt, then recovered a ball on the baseline between the legs before his friend scored the winning run.
