Google News Jannik Sinner must approach Carlos Alcaraz's level already in Miami, or...
by LORENZO CIOTTI | VIEW 9191
Jannik Sinner will make his debut at the Masters 1000 in Miami today, Friday March 24, 2023. The Italian went as far as the semifinals in Indian Wells and only lost to future tournament champion Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner didn't take advantage of a set point in the twelfth game of the first set, and then lost with a score of 4-7 in the tie-break.
In the second half of the game, the Spaniard immediately snatched the serve from his rival and managed the lead with authority until the end. The young Italian lost the second consecutive head-to-head with Alcaraz, after the defeat at the US Open 2022.
From that rather balanced match, it seems that the gap between the two has increased. This was seen in the second set of the BNP Paribas Open, where Sinner, who had to recover the set from a disadvantage, dissolved in front of his opponent.
A worrying sign? Maybe not. Perhaps Paolo Bertolucci is right when he says that Alcaraz is simply stronger than Sinner. However, the Italian already showed last season that he can beat the Spaniard. The two should have a sumptuous rivalry in the future, but it will depend above all on Sinner, on his ability to at least partially fill the gap that was seen in the second set of Indian Wells.
If he fails to fill this gap, it will also be difficult to talk about rivalry.
Jannik Sinner's words
The goal of the 21-year-old Italian is to obtain the most important result of his career in Miami, a tournament in which he played the first final in a Masters 1000 event in 2021; final lost against friend Hubert Hurkacz.
He explained: "I certainly got off to a pretty good start this season. I've already played many games against the best in the world. So I'm happy to be able to play against them every week. I hope I can do well in Miami too and then the season will start." on clay.
We'll see how it goes. For me it's important to play well on all surfaces." Sinner's first opponent at the Miami Open will be Laslo Djere, who defeated Aleksandar Vukic in his debut. The top seeds on the Italian tennis player's path are Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 and Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.
Sinner was drawn in the upper part of the draw: the same as Alcaraz. The two could meet for the second consecutive time in the semifinals of a Masters 1000. The Spaniard has once again conquered the first position in the ranking thanks to the success obtained in California, but he will have to defend the title won in Miami in 2022 to confirm his supremacy.
