Jiri Lehecka only held serve for one game, entering the Masters 1000 final in Miami against Jannik Sinner with a perfect record in that aspect. The Italian broke in the third game and laid the foundation to become the eighth player capable of achieving the Sunshine Double, winning both Indian Wells and the tournament that concluded in the early Spanish morning after a delay of an hour and a half due to rain and another hour and fifteen minutes after the start of the second set. He won with a double 6-4 in an hour and 33 minutes.
The Italian saved three threats on his serve and confirmed the path to follow in the footsteps of Roger Federer, the last player to achieve two consecutive victories in the American spring hard court swing.
Sinner regains the initiative and adds interest to the clay court season, where he will have the opportunity to challenge Carlos Alcaraz for the world number 1 spot, who was surprised in the third round by Sebastien Korda. On Monday, he will be 1,190 points behind the Spaniard, who is already preparing for Monte Carlo and defending 4,300 points in the upcoming important tournaments. This is the twenty-sixth ATP title for the Italian and his seventh Masters 1000 title.
In his first final of a tournament of this caliber, Lehecka, understandably facing the quality of his opponent, showed more doubts than in previous performances, which had allowed him to defeat, among others, Taylor Fritz, the seventh seed, Martín Landaluce, the sensation of the tournament, and Arthur Fils, whom he only allowed four games in the semifinals. However, his firm and persevering character must be praised.
The match was interrupted at the beginning of the second set, with Sinner leading 15-30. The return to the court was a survival exercise for the Czech, subjected to the continuous attacks of his opponent on his serve. He resisted until the ninth game, having neutralized nine out of ten break points. The Italian, who hit ten aces, would not miss his chance, taking advantage of his first match point.