[ad_1]
Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner will meet in the 2024 Miami Open final after the pair advanced from Friday’s semi-finals at Hard Rock Stadium.
The first match of the day pitted Jannik Sinner against Daniil Medvedev, and fans will feel slightly shortchanged as the Italian brushed aside the defending champion, losing three games in just over an hour.
It was the most one-sided meeting between the pair, and Medvedev had a terrible day at the office. He crashed out 1-6 2-6, and he’s yet to defend a tour-level title, which is quite the stat considering he has twenty of them.
Interestingly, the tour’s hardcourt specialist only holds one title – on clay! 😁
Grigor Dimitrov backed up his win against Alcaraz by taking out Sascha Zverev 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 to snap a seven-match losing streak against the German.
It was a high-quality performance from the Bulgarian who, after the fireworks in his win against Alcaraz, played a very composed match with clarity in exactly how he wanted to play.
You can see match stats and highlights below.
Miami Open 2024 Semi-Final Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Grigor Dimitrov (11) | Alexander Zverev (4) | 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 |
| Jannik Sinner (2) | Daniil Medvedev (3) | 6-1 6-2 |
Sinner Destroys Medvedev
Jannik Sinner dismantled Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-2 in just one hour and nine minutes to book his spot in the 2024 Miami Open final.
In a rivalry initially dominated by the Russian (6-0 H2H), Sinner has turned it completely around, winning five on the bounce, and Medvedev had no answers on Friday afternoon.
From holding a 15-30 window in Sinner’s first opening game, Medvedev went AWOL, dropping his opening service game and soon finding himself down 5-0. He enjoyed little to no success in the backhand exchanges and frequently bailed out of the rally on his forehand.
The initial dynamic between the pair was Medvedev being too solid from the back of the court, but now Sinner has paired aggressiveness with his own solidity, and Meddy feels like his only option is to force the issue.
That comes with risk, as it’s not his natural game. He made too many errors, which Sinner quickly capitalised on.
The ATP and on-screen stats always differ, so below, it’s logged as nine unforced errors for Medvedev, but TennisTV recorded 22. Based on what I saw, the latter is probably more accurate.
I also think Medvedev’s serve has become a liability. Last year, it was a shot he could bag plenty of free points with, but in recent months, he’s been broken far too frequently and has to rely on his other qualities to make up the difference. Today, he won just 48% of service points.
I felt great on the court today. Usually, the more you go on in a tournament, the more comfortable I feel. I’m very happy with this performance. He made a lot of mistakes, which he usually doesn’t make. I just took the chance. I was expecting a really tough match. If he breaks me in the first or second sets, it’s already very different. Sinner on his dominant win.
Match Stats
| Daniil Medvedev | Jannik Sinner | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 3 | 7 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 1 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 64% | 64% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 53% (17/32) | 80% (24/30) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 39% (7/18) | 59% (10/17) |
| Break Points Saved | 56% (5/9) | 100% (3/3) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 20% (6/30) | 47% (15/32) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 41% (7/17) | 61% (11/18) |
| Break Points Converted | 0% (0/3) | 44% (4/9) |
| Winners | 7 | 17 |
| Unforced Errors | 9 | 3 |
| Net Points Won | 38% (5/13) | 67% (4/6) |
| Max Points In Row | 4 | 10 |
| Service Points Won | 48% (24/50) | 72% (34/47) |
| Return Points Won | 28% (13/47) | 52% (26/50) |
| Total Points Won | 38% (37/97) | 62% (60/97) |
| Max Games In Row | 1 | 5 |
| Service Games Won | 43% (3/7) | 100% (8/8) |
| Return Games Won | 0% (0/8) | 57% (4/7) |
| Total Games Won | 20% (3/15) | 80% (12/15) |
Highlights
Dimitrov Downs Zverev
Grigor Dimitrov secured his return to the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since November 2018, thanks to an impressive win over Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
Dimitrov’s 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 win over the German marks his 20th Top 5 win and 3rd ATP Masters 1000 final.
While Dimitrov had dismantled Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, this match was a hard-fought contest. Dimitrov converted on both break points he created and saved the two he faced at critical moments.
This win also snapped a seven-match losing streak against Zverev in their head-to-head, with Dimitrov’s lone previous victory coming in their first meeting in Basel in 2014.
In the first set, Zverev was the first to hold a break chance in game four, but a forehand that drifted on allowed Dimitrv to escape the game. Then, at 5-4, Dimitrov stole the set, winning four straight points from 0-30 to break.
The fourth seed quickly regrouped in the second and upped his level, landing 82% of first serves and winning 81% behind it.
While Dimitrov did little wrong himself, those numbers are near impossible to punch a hole through, and Zverev levelled by taking the set 7-4 in the tiebreak.
The Bulgarian then found himself in trouble, facing break point at 1-2 in the third, but he again saved it, and the match turned in his favour. His aggressive style and movement propelled him forward to stop Zverev from building that metronomic rhythm he likes on the backhand wing.
The stats that helped him get over the line were 93% first-serve points won, 73% second-serve points won, and 57% second-serve return points won.
I fight my own battles right now. I run my own race. All that comes with all the work we have put in as a team. I’m on a very different path in my life and career. There’s a lot that was done, a lot of work, and a lot of everything behind it. I kept on believing, I kept on thriving, I kept on having faith in myself. This is just the cherry on the cake. It was like a dogfight on both ends, I think we really went at each other, especially after that first set, I felt like he upped his game a little bit and he was very, very strong throughout the whole second set and even in the tie-break. He was constantly putting a lot of pressure on me. And then in the third set, he had one [break] chance. I served well, and then I stayed, and I kept on going after my shots. In the end, I played with a little more authority and was moving the ball very well. Dimitrov on making the Miami Open final.
Match Stats
| Grigor Dimitrov | Alexander Zverev | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 18 | 14 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 1 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 68% | 75% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 78% (51/65) | 78% (54/69) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 65% (20/31) | 43% (10/23) |
| Break Points Saved | 100% (2/2) | 0% (0/2) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 22% (15/69) | 22% (14/65) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 57% (13/23) | 35% (11/31) |
| Break Points Converted | 100% (2/2) | 0% (0/2) |
| Winners | 45 | 24 |
| Unforced Errors | 10 | 8 |
| Net Points Won | 81% (21/26) | 76% (19/25) |
| Max Points In Row | 7 | 5 |
| Service Points Won | 74% (71/96) | 70% (64/92) |
| Return Points Won | 30% (28/92) | 26% (25/96) |
| Total Points Won | 53% (99/188) | 47% (89/188) |
| Max Games In Row | 3 | 3 |
| Service Games Won | 100% (16/16) | 88% (14/16) |
| Return Games Won | 13% (2/16) | 0% (0/16) |
| Total Games Won | 56% (18/32) | 44% (14/32) |
Highlights
Press Conference
Miami Open 2024 Final
- Grigor Dimitrov (11) vs Jannik Sinner (2)
What is your prediction for the final?
[ad_2]
Source link
