Tennis superstar Jannik Sinner may only be ranked number two in the world, and he may trail world number one Carlos Alcaraz by four Grand Slams to seven, but the Italian has been dominant in ATP Masters 1000 matches of late. On Sunday he defeated Czech player Jiří Lehečka 6-4, 6-4 to claim the Miami Open.
In doing so, he created a number of records and joined an elite group of players who have won three consecutive Masters 1000 events. These tournaments are the highest standard of tennis outside the four majors (Tour Finals aside, but that event only features eight players), and until Sinner triumphed in Miami, only two players had ever won three such competitions in a row.
The brilliant Italian, who will not turn 25 until mid-August, joined Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in having completed an ATP 1000 treble. Alcaraz may go on to do so at some stage in his career, too, but the fact that Roger Federer never managed the hat-trick shows just what a special accomplishment this is.
Sinner Makes it Look Easy
Winning big events like this is not supposed to be easy. The field at events like Indian Wells and Miami typically features all the very best players in the world. Moreover, unlike the Grand Slams, matches are played over three sets, not five. In some senses, this can make them harder to win because there is less margin for error. One bad set or even a few bad points at the wrong time can make it very difficult to win.
On the flip side of things, an opponent might just produce flashes of unplayable brilliance. It is clearly far easier for a player to sustain an unusually high level and triumph in a match that is first to two than one which is best of five.
However, Sinner has avoided any peril in his matches and has never had to worry about having enough time to get back into things if he has dropped the first set. He has made it all look far too easy, and his win in Miami meant he became the first player ever to win the Sunshine Double without dropping a single set.
Sunshine Double, No Trouble
| Dates | Tournament | Location | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th-15th March | BNP Paribas Open | Indian Wells (USA) | $1,151,380 |
| 18th-29th March | Miami Open | Miami (USA) | $1,151,380 |
The Sunshine Double is the Indian Wells Open, played in sunny Indian Wells, California, and the Miami Open, in equally sunny Miami, Florida. These events are played back-to-back, and winning both is not hugely uncommon. Sinner became the eighth player to win both in the same season, while Djokovic managed it four times and Federer three.
However, neither of those two greats, nor any of the others to have won both of these prestigious tournaments, managed what Sinner did. The Italian eased to Sunshine Double glory without dropping a single set in either tournament.
In Miami, that included beating the third seed, Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in the semis, although the draw was kind and the next-highest-ranked player he faced was 19th seed Francis Tiafoe. Things were a little tougher in India Wells, where he faced Zverev in the semis again (he won 6-2, 6-4), before beating number 11 seed Daniil Medvedev in the final. He won that one 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4).
More Records
In fact, even before the Sunshine Double Sinner had also become the first player to win any two ATP Masters 1000 events in succession without losing a set. Prior to his success in California, the brilliant Italian had also won the previous Masters 1000 tournament in October 2025.
That was the Paris Masters, and given that he again beat Zverev, it is safe to say the German must be well and truly sick of Sinner by now. In terms of the seeds faced, this was his most impressive win, with Sinner beating the 17th seed, Francisco Cerundolo, the fifth seed Ben Shelton, Zverev, again number three and again in the semis, and then seeing off Felix Auger-Aliassime (seeded nine) in the final.
All of this means that not only has Sinner joined that uber-elite group to have won three Masters 1000 events in a row, but that he has broken new ground by winning not just two, but all three of them without so much as dropping a set! Incredible stuff.
In doing that, he first matched Djokovic’s record for the most consecutive Masters sets won in succession, reaching 24 in a row. When he beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-1, 6-4, he then moved to 26 sets in a row at this exceptionally high level of the game. He then backed that up with four more wins to move to an incredible 34 sets in a row.
Quite how much further he can extend that run remains to be seen. However, given Djokovic’s record of 24 stood for a decade, we fancy it will be some time before we see Sinner’s mark, wherever it ends up, surpassed.