Italy’s Jannik Sinner turned on the style to end Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of a “Sunshine Double” and his reign as world number one, triumphing 6‑7 (4/7), 6‑4, 6‑2 in their Miami Open semi‑final on Friday. Sinner will meet Russian Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final, while Alcaraz will lose his number‑one ranking to Novak Djokovic. Medvedev reached his fifth straight ATP Tour final with a 7‑6 (7/5), 3‑6, 6‑3 win over fellow Russian Karen Khachanov.
The 19‑year‑old Alcaraz, defending champion in Miami and fresh from a title at Indian Wells, was left frustrated after struggling with leg cramps in the third set. The first set was an enthralling, power‑hitting duel, highlighted by a 25‑shot exchange in the seventh game that brought the crowd to its feet. After a tense tie‑break, the Spaniard secured the set, but an inspired Sinner fought back in the second. Sinner broke early, Alcaraz answered to level at 2‑2, and the 21‑year‑old Italian sensed his moment, displaying confidence with his powerful groundstrokes.
In the deciding set, the world number one moved with difficulty and was broken on his first serve. He crouched on the baseline between points, casting worried looks toward his team. Sinner opted for more conservative strokes, and although Alcaraz seemed to recover briefly, the Italian ran out the winner after three hours. Alcaraz later explained that his problems began during a bathroom break after the second set: “I went to the bathroom for five minutes and, yeah, everything went down for me a little bit. I started cramping at the beginning of the third set, but it wasn’t the reason I lost the match. I came back… I started to feel better, but of course Jannik was better than me in the third set. That’s the truth.”
Sinner, who had lost to Alcaraz in straight sets at the same stage in Indian Wells, said he could feel the high quality of their encounter at Hard Rock Stadium. “When both players play tennis like this it is very nice to play, you can feel it with the crowds. There was just great energy with everything. It is nice to be part of matches like this,” he said. He also admitted to cramping in the second set but recovered quickly: “I knew that I had to go on and wait for the right moment. I feel ready to compete and I am happy to be in the final.”
The 27‑year‑old Medvedev, playing against his boyhood friend, survived a second‑set comeback and relied on his trademark precision to overcome Khachanov’s big serve in a high‑quality encounter. The match featured long rallies as Medvedev fended off Khachanov’s thumping baseline shots and then pinned his opponent on his service games. Medvedev hit 13 aces and saved four of six break points, breaking Khachanov in the fourth game of the third set. He won 82 % (14 of 17) of his first‑serve points in the final set and expressed relief at defeating a player who knows his game so well. “In my opinion, it was a top match,” Medvedev said. “In the first set when we lost our serves, it was just a good game from the returner. In the second set, I had one bad game and he won the set. I had one break point, I could have done better. He had a break point in the first game of the third set, I managed to play well. He had one bad game in the third set, I managed to take it and I am really happy to be through. It was a very tough match.”
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