Jannik Sinner eased past Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Miami Open on Wednesday where the second seed will face either the defending champion Daniil Medvedev or Nicolás Jarry.
The first set of the match played in humid conditions hinged on a Machac service game at 3-3 where the unseeded Czech’s forehand missed its target on break point to give Sinner a 4-3 lead.
The Italian wrapped up the set with a love hold when Machac was unable to put a second serve back in play. In the second set, Machac’s forehand sailed long to give Sinner the break and a 2-1 lead. Sinner broke again with a backhand winner for 4-1 and closed out the contest with a serve out wide that Machac could not get back.
Sinner, who was a finalist at the tournament in 2021 and 2023, produced 16 winners to four unforced errors in a stress-free victory.
The win was Australian Open champion Sinner’s 20th of the year and sets up a potential rematch with Medvedev in the semis after the pair met in last year’s Miami Open final and January’s Melbourne Park final. Sinner has lost just one match this year, falling in the semi-finals of Indian Wells to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Danielle Collins also turned on the style to record a powerful 6-3, 6-2 victory over the No 23 seed Caroline Garcia to reach the last four in Miami.
Collins had 22 winners and needed just 80 minutes to dispose of Garcia and improve to 4-0 all-time in the matchup. She converted 89.7% of her first-serve points (26 of 29) and did not face a single break point.
“I think, depending on the matchup, some people are more favourable against others,” Collins said. “I think Caro comes out here and fights her butt off. She hits some really strong shots … and I don’t think the set scores are a reflection of how close the match really is. Against someone like Caro, it forces me to be more concentrated, because I know I don’t want to give her an inch.”
Collins will face either No 5 seed Jessica Pegula or No 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova in Friday’s semis. The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has been hyped up due to the possibility of this being her last time playing in Miami. Earlier this year, the Floridian said she plans for this to be her final year on tour.
“With the way I’m playing, there’s certainly a lot to be pumped about,” Collins said. “I like to show the positive body language and the fan support I’m getting here is amazing.”
Victoria Azarenka kept her hopes of a fourth Miami Open title alive as she reached the semis with a hard-earned victory over Yulia Putintseva. The No 27 seed Azarenka, who won the tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2016, laboured for just under three hours as she battled past her Kazakhstani opponent 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3.
Azarenka will face another Kazakhstani player in the last four after Elena Rybakina outlasted eighth seed Maria Sakkari in another marathon clash 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4. “I have no words because I’m so tired. But I’m really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle,” said Rybakina after clinching victory in 2hr 48min.
Source: theguardian.com
