By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday April 2, 2023
Daniil Medvedev powered to his fifth Masters 1000 title, defeating Jannik Sinner in straight sets on Sunday in Miami.
Photo Source: Tecnifibre
That loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final two weeks ago? Consider it a speed bump…
It never entered Daniil Medvedev’s mind the moment he stepped on the fast Miami Open hard courts, and the Russian stormed to the title, continuing the torrid tennis that has seen him capture 24 victories in his last 25 matches on tour.
On Sunday Medvedev was ruthless as he took down second-time Miami Open finalist Jannik Sinner, 7-5, 6-3. The World No.5 broke open a tight match when he broke serve in the final game of the opening set, then took over in set two to claim his 19th career title – and fifth Masters 1000 crown.
"Really happy," Medvedev said at his post-match press conference after improving to 6-0 lifetime against Sinner, and 2-0 against the Italian in 2023. "It's the best start of the season I have ever had. Amazing amount of points won. For sure a pity there was no Grand Slam at this period of time, but generally super happy and looking forward to the season even more."
Sinner was fighting fatigue and a befuddling opponent in the Miami heat on Sunday, and he couldn’t muster the energy to overcome the challenge.
"It has been a very positive month for me," Sinner said. "Obviously disappointed about today. I woke up not in the best possible way. I felt a little bit sick, but we tried to go on the court, trying to give it a shot. Unfortunately today was not my day.
"Still, I don't want to take nothing away from Daniil. He was serving incredible. He was very brave with the way he played today. Obviously is one of the best players in the world. I tried. Today was not my day. Now it's clay season."
27-year-old Medvedev claims his first Masters title since 2021 Toronto, and improves to 19-13 overall in ATP finals. Remarkably, each of his 19 ATP titles have come at different venues.
He broke open a tight match and won eight of the final 11 games from 5-5 in the first set. The Russian won 86 percent of his first-serve points and hit 19 winners against 21 unforced errors. Sinner struggled on serve, winning just 69 percent of first-serve points and 32 percent of second-serve points as he was broken four times.
The Italian produced 16 winners against 36 unforced errors in total.
Medvedev just seems to have Sinner's number.
"The match against Carlos, the match against Rublev, Ruusuvuori, he was just blasting the ball past his opponents, doing unbelievable winners," Medvedev told reporters on Sunday. "Somehow my ball doesn't let him do it, or maybe I'm reading his game a little bit better, so I'm pushing him more to the error.
"I feel like already this year he's stepping up, stepping up, so he starts to miss less and less. The match in Rotterdam was a brutal one. I mean, today the first set he had the first break. He's getting definitely closer and closer, but I hope I can continue bringing him this trouble because I'm sure I'm going to see him in the later stages of the tournament if I manage to play well."
Sinner's impact on the Miami Open is undeniable despite his loss on Sunday. He took down World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals for his biggest career win, and sent Novak Djokovic back to No.1 in the world.