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Jannik Sinner was ecstatic after outlasting a feisty encounter against Carlos Alcaraz in the Miami Open semifinals on Friday (March 31).
Sinner surpassed the in-form Alcaraz after falling behind in the opening set (6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2), securing a place in the ATP Masters 1000 final for the second time in his career. The Italian handed Alcaraz just his second defeat of the season, the previous one against Cameron Norrie in the Rio Open final.
After an exciting encounter enduring for over three hours, Sinner himself was left in awe of the high-quality tennis on display from both sides of the court.
During his on-court interview, Sinner stated that Alcaraz and himself exhibited "very, very high level tennis" and that he gave his best to come through.
"It means a lot obviously. I think also tonight, we both played very very high level tennis again and I just tried my best," he said.
Sinner divulged that he saw his opponent struggle during the final set, something the Italian fully exploited to his merit.
"In the third set, I saw him a little bit struggle for a couple of games. So, I tried to push there and very happy about that and I think we both, we tried to play very aggressive tennis and today it went my way. So, I'm happy," added Sinner.
With the win over Alcaraz, Sinner set up a fascinating summit clash with Daniil Medvedev in what will be a rematch of the 2023 ABN AMRO Open final.
Reflecting on the match ahead, Jannik Sinner claimed that the conditions in Miami are much more favorable for him compared to Rotterdam, expressing hopes for a different result against the Russian this time around.
"Different conditions than in Rotterdam. I'm very happy that I can face him in a final again," Sinner stated. "The last one I lost obviously, but I'll try my best, I'll try to make some good changes like today against Carlos and let's see. I feel good on this court. I have very good memories and hopefully I can show some good tennis."
In Rotterdam, Medvedev defeated Sinner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to secure the title.
Jannik Sinner levels Carlos Alcaraz in the head-to-head record
Jannik Sinner's win on Friday helped him level his head-to-head record with Carlos Alcaraz on the ATP tour.
By leveling their record at 3-3, Sinner snapped Alcaraz's 10-match winning streak, also denying the Spaniard a chance to become the youngest player to claim the Sunshine Double.
Carlos Alcaraz's semifinal exit will also put an end to his reign at the top of the ATP rankings, with Novak Djokovic set to take over the top spot on Monday (April 3).
