Post-rain rally! Sinner surges past Griekspoor in Miami

Jannik Sinner passed a stern test from Tallon Griekspoor to keep his Miami Open presented by Itau campaign on track Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.

The second-seeded Italian overcame a big-hitting start from the Dutch World No. 26 for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 third-round victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Florida. A short burst of rain earlier forced the players from the court with Griekspoor leading 7-5, 3-3, but Sinner raised his level superbly upon resumption to earn a two-hour, 23-minute triumph.

Sinner won 10 of the 13 games played after the rain delay to ward off any potential upset and increase his Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead against Griekspoor to 4-0. After improving his record for 2024 to 18-1, the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings will next prepare for a fourth-round clash against Christopher O’Connell or Martin Damm.

“I think even the first set was really close, but it went away,” said Sinner in his post-match interview. “I think mentally I tried to stay strong, which I did, and I was in a tough situation today. After the rain came, I tried to come back a bit more aggressive, which I did, and obviously I’m really happy. It’s been a tough day for me, but very happy about the result.”

That's tasty, Jannik😋@janniksin | @MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/btyyPcz5vv

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 24, 2024

Griekspoor won just six points on return in the opening set, but crucially four of them came in the 11th game as he notched the first break of serve of the match for 6-5. After serving out the set, the 25th seed continued to compete well in the second set, but he could not keep up with Sinner’s power and consistency after the rain delay.

As it has so often during his stunning start to the 2024 season, Sinner’s serving was the bedrock of his victory. The Italian finished the match having won 90 per cent (46/51) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I think it just opens the court more,” said Sinner, when asked about the way he used serves out wide so frequently against Griekspoor. “You have to adapt. Sometimes you don’t feel it so much so you go more to the T, but it’s all part of where I need to be very clear in my mind and focused about what I am doing.”

Sinner is chasing his third tour-level title of 2024 and his second Masters 1000 crown overall in Miami, where he is a two-time finalist.