Match Preview
Sinner eyes ‘Sunshine Double’ as Lehecka looms in Miami final
World No. 2 has not dropped a set in his past 16 ATP Masters 1000 matches
March 28, 2026
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner leads Jiri Lehecka 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
By Jerome Coombe
Jannik Sinner stands just one win away from another glittering milestone at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where he meets the in-form Jiri Lehecka in Sunday’s final.
The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner is aiming to become just the eighth man — and first since Roger Federer in 2017 — to complete the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ after his Indian Wells triumph earlier this month. To seal it, the Italian will need to absorb and redirect the pace of Lehecka, who has produced explosive ball striking and ultra-efficient service games to power into his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final.
The end of show headliners on Sunday 🎭@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/R7ywIwWyPN
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 28, 2026
After Sebastian Korda stunned World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the third round, the top half of the draw cracked open, and Lehecka has been ruthless in stepping through it. The Czech has surged into the biggest final of his career without dropping serve across five matches, blending controlled aggression with pinpoint serving, including a statement fourth-round upset over World No. 7 Taylor Fritz.
To trouble Sinner, Lehecka will need more of the same, but likely even bolder. His ability to take time away, strike early, and dominate short rallies was on full display in his clinical 6-2, 6-2 semi-final dismantling of Arthur Fils. Against one of the Tour’s dominant attacking forces in Sinner, however, that intent will be tested to its limits.
The second seed has looked immovable, having won each of his past 32 sets at Masters 1000 level. After an authoritative quarter-final win over Frances Tiafoe, who called him ‘one of the best ball strikers the game has ever seen’, Sinner underlined that claim by extending his dominance over Alexander Zverev with his seventh straight victory over the German in the semi-finals.
“Coming here, trying to produce some good tennis, that was my main goal,” Sinner said after reaching his fourth Miami final. “Standing here again, in the final, means very, very much to me.”
With his run in Miami, Sinner has also heightened the pressure on Alcaraz in the battle for World No. 1. He trails the Spaniard by 1,540 points in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, but could cut that gap to 1,190 with the title. With no points to defend until Rome, momentum is firmly on Sinner’s side heading into the start of the European clay swing.
Lehecka is up eight spots to a career-high No. 14 in the Live Rankings and will aim to deliver one final, fearless performance. He trails Sinner 0-3 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head and has yet to take a set against the Italian, but his current level suggests a far more dangerous test than that record might imply.
“It feels great. It’s definitely something I’ve been working towards the whole year and the whole pre-season,” said Lehecka, when asked about his red-hot form after overwhelming Fils in the semi-finals. “I really trusted my game and the work I put in. It didn’t matter when, but I knew it would come and today was a nice example of how I want to play. I executed it well, so I’m very happy with today’s performance.”
Lehecka is aiming to win his third ATP Tour title, having also triumphed in Adelaide in 2024 and Brisbane in 2025, while Sinner is searching for his 26th tour-level title to tie fierce rival Alcaraz.
