Jannik Sinner continued his march towards the Sunshine Double after beating Alex Michelsen on Tuesday.
The Italian proved too strong for his American opponent, eventually winning the match 7-5, 7-6.
The victory was far from comfortable, as the Italian found himself 2-5 down in the second set.
However, Sinner maintained his composure, fighting back to close out the match in straight sets.
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Sinner made history by defeating Michelsen, becoming only the third man in Miami Open history to reach the quarter-finals on all of his first five attempts.
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During his post-match press conference, Sinner was informed that he has joined Stefan Edberg and Yannick Noah as the third man to reach the Miami Open quarter-finals on all of his first five attempts.
The Italian was asked to explain why he has performed so well in Miami.
Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open record
- 2021: Finalist [lost to Hubert Hurkacz]
- 2022: Quarter-finalist [lost to Francisco Cerundolo]
- 2023: Finalist [lost to Daniil Medvedev]
- 2024: Champion [beat Grigor Dimitrov]
- 2025: [DNP]
- 2026: Quarter-finals… faces Frances Tiafoe next
“It’s tough to say because the earlier times when I played here I played a little bit on the outside, and on the outside it’s very different,” said Sinner.
“There is a lot of breeze and wind at times. Playing here [on the main court] is slightly easier because it blocks a bit.
“The ball is bouncing quite low, which usually helps me, but this year I have found it a bit more difficult for some reason.
“I am trying to enjoy also whatever is around off the court. I think Miami, for sure, has been very good to me in the last years and now we will see what is coming.”
Sinner will look to continue his excellent form in Miami when he faces Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals.
Tiafoe, the 19th seed, has performed well in Florida, defeating Arthur Cazaux, Terence Atmane and Jakub Mensik; whom Tiafoe shared a heartwarming conversation with after their match.
However, his record against Sinner is rather poor: he has won only one of his five matches against the Italian.
Tiafoe’s sole victory over Sinner came at the 2021 Vienna Open. Tiafoe won the semi-final contest 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
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Jannik Sinner’s immediate reaction after beating Alex Michelsen
“I feel like today especially the serve helped me very much, especially in important moments,” Sinner told Sky Sports after defeating the American.
“At the back of the court I’m not feeling perfect so will try to improve, but I’m happy to fight my way through this one, it was a very tough match and he played some great tennis.
“I’m happy with how I handled the situation, especially in the second set.”
Sinner will hope he can carry his excellent serving into his match with Tiafoe.
Against Michelsen, Sinner served 15 aces and won 90 per cent of first serve points.
He also won 50 per cent of his second serve points and converted two of his seven break-point opportunities.