Medvedev tops Tiafoe to move into Indian Wells final with 19th straight victory

Daniil Medvedev captured his fourth ATP title of the year on Sunday, beating Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-3 for the Miami Open men's singles title and to move to 6-0 in their career matchup.

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Italy’s Jannik Sinner ended Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of the “Sunshine Double” and his reign as world number one, triumphing 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2 in their Miami Open semifinal 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 disappointment for the 19-year-old Alcaraz, the defending champion in Miami and coming off a title at Indian Wells, will be tinged with frustration after he struggled in the third set with leg cramps. It had been an enthralling and entertaining power-hitting performance from both men in the first set, won by the Spaniard after a tie-break, but an inspired Sinner fought back in the second. Sinner broke in the first game and although Alcaraz broke back to make it 2-2, the 21-year-old Italian sensed his moment was arriving and showed confidence in his powerful groundstrokes. Sinner broke again to go 5-4 up and then held for the set to end Alcaraz’s streak of 21 winning sets. The world number one was moving with difficulty and was broken on his first serve in the deciding set. Looking in discomfort, he crouched down on his baseline in between points and shot some worried and confused looks to his team in the stands. Sinner lost his focus for a while, his blistering shots replaced by some conservative strokes but he soon regained focus as he ran out the winner in three hours.

The hopes of American men's tennis rest largely on the talented rackets of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Martina Navratilova has backed Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina to complete the 'Sunshine Double' as both players look to add Miami Open titles to their respective Indian Wells triumphs. Alcaraz dispatched Daniil Medvedev in impressive fashion to claim the former earlier in the month and faces Tommy Paul in the fourth round in Miami after breezing through the first two rounds. Ad Rybakina triumphed at Indian Wells after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final and is into the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after beating Elise Martins to set up a match with Martina Trevisan.

Daniil Medvedev says one defeat against Carlos Alcaraz is not enough for him to rethink his tactical approach – but a second could force his hand. Medvedev saw his 19-match winning run ended in the Indian Wells final by Alcaraz, who replaced Novak Djokovic as world No. 1 with the victory.

Novak Djokovic insists he has “no regrets” at missing Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the United States due to his vaccination status. Djokovic applied for special permission to enter the country as he has not taken the vaccination against Covid-19, but was denied an exemption. Ad Current US rules state international visitors need to show proof of vaccination to enter the country until at least April 10.