Dominant Daniil – Medvedev outshines Sinner for fifth Masters title in Miami
Daniil Medvedev powered past Jannik Sinner for his first Miami title and his first Masters 1000 crown since the summer of 2021.
Daniil Medvedev 2023 Miami Open | AI / Reuters / Panoramic
Like the relentless Miami heat, Daniil Medvedev knows a thing or two about smothering his opponents and sapping their energy. The Russian did that to perfection on Sunday, claiming his 19th career title at the Miami Open, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jannik Sinner as he earned his 24th victory from his last 25 matches.
“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.”
The Russian has been playing torrid tennis since February, when he reeled off three consecutive titles at Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, and his form continued stateside until he was outplayed by Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final two weeks ago.
That loss to the high-flying Spaniard can now be considered a speedbump for the world No 5. Much more comfortable in the faster playing hard courts of Miami, Medvedev didn’t skip a beat as he rolled to the title with the loss of just one set.
Medvedev was authoritative from the start on Sunday, and he cracked open the match late in the opening set as he reeled off 8 of the final 11 games to take the title in one hour and 35 minutes.
A tidy stat line for Medvedev
Medvedev produced a much cleaner stat sheet, striking 19 winners against 21 unforced errors and winning 86 percent of his first-serve points; Sinner won just 69 percent of his first-serve points and hit 16 winners against 36 unforced errors. The Italian was flummoxed by Medvedev’s stellar returning – the Russian won 68 percent of his second-serve points in the contest, and broke four times from six opportunities.
Sinner can take heart in his performance despite the loss. And he certainly made a massive impact on the tournament. The Italian took out world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz for his biggest career win in the semi-finals, and sent Novak Djokovic back to the No 1 ranking.
Sinner under the weather
It was clear throughout the contest that Sinner was struggling to find the proper energy. After the final he explained his physical state to the crowd.
“We woke up this morning not at my best – I felt a little bit sick,” he said. “But thanks everyone for the support, it means a lot to me. You gave me a lot of energy. Unfortunately, today I couldn’t play at my best.”
“It has been a very positive month for me. Obviously disappointed about today.”
Medvedev’s secret? I’m pushing him to the error
Like many players on tour, Sinner is puzzled by Medvedev’s smothering game style. He has won just 3 of 15 sets against the Russian, and Medvedev says he is able to keep him at bay by reading his game and forcing him to go for more.
“The match against Carlos, the match against Rublev, Ruusuvuori, he was just blasting the ball past his opponents, doing unbelievable winners,” Medvedev said. “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.”
“It’s always going to be a tough, tough challenge for me to play against him, for sure,” Sinner said. “But I don’t know. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer.
“Even today I felt like that the chances are there, so that’s the good thing and the positive thing. Then we see in the future. But every player has this one or two players where you don’t feel that comfortable with. He’s for sure one of mine.”
