MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Daniil Medvedev won his fourth ATP title of the year Sunday, beating Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-3 in the Miami Open to move to 6-0 in their career matchup.
Medvedev is now the most sizzling player on the men’s tour, winning 24 of his past 25 matches after the 1-hour, 34-minute triumph. His only loss has come against top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final.
He’s made five straight finals, and he compared this run to 2019 when he advanced to the championship round in six straight events.
“It’s kind of the same,” Medvedev said. “It’s the best start to a season I’ve ever had. It’s been amazing amount of [ATP points] won. I’m super happy.”
Sinner ran out of magic, with his three-hour win late Friday night over Alcaraz in the semifinals — when he had mild cramping in the second set — taking a toll on the 21-year-old Italian player.
Sinner was visited by an ATP trainer midway through the first set Sunday. During the changeover at 4-3, Sinner received a packet of salt that he dumped into a water bottle to drink.
“Woke up this morning not at my best — a little bit sick,” Sinner said during the postmatch ceremony, acknowledging that the crowd was behind him. “Thanks for the support. You gave me a lot of energy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play at my best.’
“We tried to go out on the court, trying to give it a try,” Sinner said. “Unfortunately, today wasn’t my day, but I don’t want to take nothing away from Daniil. He was serving incredible. He was very brave with the way he played. He’s one of the best players in the world.”
Sinner said the trainer’s salt didn’t make a huge difference. “It helped me a little bit but not enough,” Sinner said. “When you wake up like this, there’s not magical things.”
Serving 5-6 in the first set, Sinner didn’t have any dazzle left and played a ragged game as Medvedev broke him to close out the first set. At 15-30, Sinner shanked a backhand that went long, then fired a forehand bullet into the top of the net to end the one-hour first set.
Sinner said he might have had “a little bit” of a mental letdown off the Alcaraz win but noted he was also facing an opponent he had never beaten.
“I was very looking forward to it and prepared for a lot,” Sinner said. “It was a very good win. But I was focused on Daniil because I’ve never won.”
While Medvedev has won titles this year in Rotterdam, Doha and…
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