By VICTOR OKOYE

World Number two Jannik Sinner defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Open, completing the Sunshine Double without dropping a set.

Lehecka entered his first Masters 1,000 final in top serving form, winning every service game and saving all nine break points faced before the final.

Sinner quickly disrupted that rhythm, breaking Lehecka’s serve early and maintaining control, as he has consistently done in recent tournaments.

In spite of the rain delays, Sinner stayed focused, sealing victory and securing one of the most significant achievements of his career.

The win makes Sinner the eighth man to claim the Sunshine Double, having earlier triumphed at Indian Wells this month.

He has now won 34 consecutive Masters Sets, becoming only the third man after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to win three straight Masters Titles.

Sinner is the first to achieve that feat without dropping a set across all three tournaments.

Following Aryna Sabalenka’s Miami victory, it marks the fourth time male and female players completed the Sunshine Double in the same year.

Lehecka enjoyed a breakthrough tournament, defeating Taylor Fritz and Arthur Fils en route to the final.

However, Sinner’s superior quality proved decisive, repeating dominance shown in their previous meeting at the French Open.

Lehecka improved this time, holding serve strongly and creating brief chances, but Sinner’s powerful serve and resilience shut down every opportunity.

Sinner’s March dominance contrasts his earlier struggles, including a semi-final loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open and defeat to Jakub Mensik.

His resurgence now places him about 1,500 points behind world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings race.

Both players have dominated the season so far, though they are yet to face each other this year. (NAN)