Jannik Sinner extended his dominance over Alexander Zverev with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in the Miami Open semifinal. The match lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes and pushed the world No. 2’s sets-won streak in ATP Masters 1000 events to 32 as he moves one match away from completing the Sunshine Double.

The result continued two significant runs for Sinner. He has now won his last 16 matches at ATP Masters 1000 events and has beaten Zverev seven consecutive times. He has not dropped a set in his 1000-level winning streak, a run that carries him into Sunday’s final with Jiri Leheck standing in his path.

A title in Miami would make Sinner the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to win Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back. Sinner also prevailed against Zverev in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open earlier in the swing, though he emphasised that the two events felt different.

“two completely different tournaments.”

Reflecting on his week in Miami during his on-court interview, Sinner outlined his priorities and his satisfaction at reaching another final. “Coming here and trying to produce some good tennis was my main goal, and standing here again in the final means very much to me,” he said. “We’ll try to push now in a couple of days, but in any case, it has been an incredible swing … couldn’t be better, and I’m very happy.”

With the Sunshine Double within reach, Sinner arrives at the final carrying both confidence and an unbeaten run at 1000-level events. His Miami win underlined the consistency behind that streak and set up a final in which history is a realistic target.

Jiri Lehecka produced one of the cleanest performances of his career Friday at Hard Rock Stadium, beating Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-2 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final. The 24-year-old No. 21 seed did not lose a service game the entire week, becoming the first player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 title match without being broken since Novak Djokovic at the 2018 Shanghai Rolex Masters.

For the second consecutive year, a Czech man will play for the Miami Open title. Lehecka controlled the match from the first service game after Fils, who had reached his maiden 1000-level semifinal without dropping serve and who saved four match points in his quarterfinal with Tommy Paul, chose to serve first.

Lehecka’s returning stood out. He produced a 9.6 return quality rating while building a two-break lead in the opening set. He converted his pressure into tangible momentum early and carried that into the second set, breaking for 2-1 with a backhand return up the line that Fils could not counter. The frustrated Frenchman tossed his racquet and vented at his team after that exchange.

Lehecka consolidated a key hold from 15-30 to make it more difficult for Fils to mount a comeback. Up 4-2, Lehecka broke again in a 16-point game to seize full control of the match and then closed the contest on his next opportunity. He won 59 of the 100 rallies that lasted fewer than nine shots, an indicator of how effectively he dictated baseline exchanges.

When asked on court, he reacted, “Final feels!!!” The victory sends Lehecka into the biggest final of his career and keeps intact the rare accomplishment of reaching a Masters 1000 title match without surrendering serve.

The North American clay swing is brief compared with the two-month European stretch that includes Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Paris. Houston offers players a one-week chance to stay Stateside, and a strong contingent of American talent has taken that option, producing an unusually deep field for an ATP 250.

Five of the top six ranked American men, all inside the Top 30, and seven of the top nine will compete in the 2026 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Ben Shelton leads the group. Shelton won the ATP 500 Dallas hard-court event in February and is already a Houston winner, having taken the River Oaks title in 2024. A victory this year would give him a second Houston trophy.

Defending champion Jenson Brooksby is back to defend his crown. After saving match points in two wins, Brooksby routinely took out Tiafoe to win Houston in 2025, 6-4, 6-2. Other past American champions in the draw include Frances Tiafoe (2023) and Reilly Opelka (2022). Learner Tien, Tommy Paul and Alex Michelsen complete the U.S. representation from the ATP Top 50.

The field is not exclusively American. Cristian Garin, the 2019 champion, is entered, along with 32nd-ranked Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Alexei Popyrin was added to the entry list on Thursday. In all, 10 of the world’s Top 50, as of March 27, will head to Houston.

Doubles also provides intrigue. Rain forced last year’s doubles final onto Sunday, a change that drew strong feedback. “There was an overwhelmingly positive reaction,” says tournament director Bronwyn Greer. “We took that feedback and consulted with the ATP Tour, and decided to make the change and put both our title matches onto the final day of the tournament.” Given the doubles depth, some players could be scheduled for singles and doubles on the final day. Michelsen and Tien are teaming up, and Shelton pairs with Andres Andrade. The doubles draw also includes John Peers and Jean-Julien Rojer, plus teams such as Rajeev Ram (with Benjamin Kittay), John-Patrick Smith (with Sander Arends) and Santiago Gonazlez (with Fernando Romboli).

Best buds Tien and Michelsen reenacted Titanic’s famous “I’m flying!” scene during the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.