Sinner’s the Winner! Italian Jannik Sinner beats Grigor Dimitrov for Miami Open title

Three years after tossing and turning the night before his first Miami Open final, worried he may never again reach a final of a top-tier tournament, Jannik Sinner, now the defending Australian Open champion, lifted the Miami trophy he so craved on his third try.

The 22-year-old Italian redhead with the carrot-costumed fans needed just over an hour to beat Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-3, 6-1 on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.

During his trophy ceremony, just before receiving his $1.1 million victory check, Sinner shared that he spoke to tournament director James Blake before the match and Sinner told Blake he hoped the third time would be the lucky one.

“I’m really happy I can hold this time the big trophy,” Sinner said. “It’s one of the best tournaments, and I’m so grateful. This is such a special place for me. The atmosphere has been amazing.”

Sinner moves up to No. 2 in the world rankings with the win and said of that achievement: “I never thought I would come to this point. I am from a very normal family, my Dad is still working, as is my Mom. So, for me, sport is one thing and life is different. I’m enjoying every moment.”

Sinner is the highest ranked Italian men’s player in history and first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in nearly a half century. The last Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title was Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open.

He grew up in the German-speaking part of the Italian Alps. His parents worked at a ski lodge where his father, Johann, was a chef and his mother, Siglinde, was a waitress. Jannik was a promising ski racer before choosing tennis.

Sinner said his parents continue to work and travel only to a handful of his tournaments.

“They will continue to do their life, and I will do my life,” Sinner said. “I have a grandma and grandpa who are a certain age, and they want to stay close to them. They live in a beautiful place, so they have a good life there. For sure, I missed time with my parents because I left home when I was 13, 14, so I haven’t had a lot of time with them. Hopefully, I can make it up in the future. But, if they are happy, I am happy.”

The first time Sinner reached the Miami Open final, in front of a COVID-reduced capacity Grandstand audience in 2021, he lost to Hubert Hurkacz as a nervous 19-year-old.

Last year, he lost to Daniil Medvedev, and avenged that loss at the 2024 Australian Open with a five-set win over the Russian.

On Sunday, in front of a near-capacity Stadium Court crowd chanting “Sinner! Sinner” the Italian did not look nervous at all. He broke Dimitrov in the fifth game to go up 3-2 and again in the final game of the set. The second set was no different, with Sinner in control from start to finish.

“Jannik raised his level the last six months and had a great finish to the year and had a lot of confidence coming into this year, it’s a credit to him is that he’s been able to keep his feet on the ground,” said Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill. “I thought he was incredible, barely any unforced errors.”

Sinner had just nine unforced errors, compared to 23 for Dimitrov, and he won 88 percent of his first serves.

Asked how Sinner compares to recent greats Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Cahill said: “I don’t think anybody should be comparing this generation yet to the generation we’ve just seen with Novak, still playing, with Federer, Nadal, what they’ve been able to achieve for so many years is remarkable. I don’t think we’ll ever see that domination again, no matter what.”

He added that the new generation of players is a direct result of the professionalism that preceded them with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. He credited Sinner’s trainer Humberto Ferrero with improving his fitness.

Sinner is 22-1 this year, the best record in the ATP, so it was hardly a surprise that the Italian reached Sunday’s final at Hard Rock Stadium.

The surprise was that Dimitrov was his opponent.

The 32-year-old Bulgarian has always had supreme talent and variety in his game. He was nicknamed “Baby Roger” and “Baby Federer” early in his career because his playing style was similar to that of the Swiss maestro. What Dimitrov lacked was consistency.

Everything clicked for him during this Miami Open, until Sunday.

Dimitrov beat Hurkacz, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in his last three matches. His best tennis was on display in the stunning win over top seed Alcaraz, who said of Dimitrov afterward: “He made me feel like I’m 13 years old.”

Things were different against Sinner. But he said he “feels like a winner” despite the loss in the final, and his Miami Open run boosts his confidence.

“I showed I can compete against these guys and do well against them, and that’s the ultimate goal, Dimitrov said. “For sure, (Sinner’s) the one to chase right now.”

Mattek-Sands, Henin win women’s doubles

Earlier Sunday, American duo Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Henin won the women’s doubles title 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 11-9 over Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada. It was the second title of the year for Mattek-Sands and Henin, who got into the Miami Open as alternates after the withdrawal of Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo.

The American team needed a decisive tiebreak in four of its five matches this week.

It was the second Miami Open title for Mattek-Sands, who won in 2016 with longtime doubles partner Lucie Safarova. Kenin, who lives in Pembroke Pines, has won four doubles titles, and this was her first in Miami.

“I want to thank Bethany for playing with me; it was super fun and she really taught me a lot of good stuff on court,” Kenin said. “I’m a Miami girl, so it was a great atmosphere and the fans are amazing.”

Mattek-Sands said: “It’s really been quite a journey and it’s always nice coming back to this home place. I get real good energy from the crowd. I feel the support.”

Bopanna, Ebden win men’s doubles

The men’s doubles title was won Saturday by India’s 44-year-old Rohan Bopanna and Australia’s Matthew Ebden. They defeated Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Austin Krajicek of the United States 6-7 (7-3), 6-3, 10-6.

It was their second title together this year after winning the Australian Open.

“It’s been magical, especially to win here in the Magic City,” Bopanna said. “I have to thank Matthew, who has been such a great partner for what he does on the court, with communication and the way he handles pressure situations.”

Tournament director James Blake joked: “Rohan, you make me feel like a slacker because we’re the same age and I’ve been in this job for six years and you’re still playing and winning titles.”