2024 Miami Open Men's Final MATCH PREVIEW: Jannik SINNER and Grigor DIMITROV collide in second part of Sunshine Double

ATP
Sunday, 31 March 2024 at 10:50
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Easter Sunday may be about treats to some and the ATP Final will serve up a treat at the Miami Open as Jannik Sinner will face Grigor Dimitrov to conclude the so-called Sunshine Double in the last knockings of action before the clay court season begins on Monday.

Two of the most in-form players on the ATP Tour will collide with Sinner being the favourite to seal a third title of the season after winning the Australian Open and Rotterdam Open. While for Dimitrov, it would be a second after winning in Brisbane to start the year. Our Match Preview runs through their route to the final, Head to Head and a prediction.

Route to Final - Sublime Sinner thumps Medvedev to seal final spot

After failing to beat Daniil Medvedev for a number of years, Jannik Sinner has got his number and has been beating him for fun since last year's final and the puke in the bin that changed the course of Sinner's career for the better in Beijing.

Seen as an ironic moment, Sinner has been a tear since getting ill in China and has only lost one match all season against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells in a hotly anticipated contest. Barring that, he has not lost since the ATP Finals last November with his superb near flawless record stretching back to the Davis Cup. He has not only got Novak Djokovic's number but would also likely be the next player to mount a challenge for the top spot if he wins Miami. He will be World No.2 in event of sealing the title.

Andrea Vavassori, Tallon Griekspoor, Christopher O'Connell and Tomas Machac all priorly fell to Sinner with only the Dutchman offering any trouble with a wobbly opening set loss. But he has not lost a set since and his latest 6-1, 6-2 win was a statement to the rest of the field that he is very much here to stay.

Route to Final - Dazzling Dimitrov returns to top 10 for first time in over five years

The one-handed backhand wasn't gone for long from the top 10. Some thought it was extinct and wouldn't be coming back, but Dimitrov has made sure that it will as of next week. He is back in the top 10 for the first time in over five years.

Working with Dani Vallverdu and Jamie Delgado, Dimitrov has certainly been one of the best players in the world especially over the last eight months. He reached the final in Paris and aside from the Australian Open where he lost to Nuno Borges in the third round, he has barely put a foot wrong. He has only ever lost to players in utterly devastatingly good form.

There is also a difference to Dimitrov. Before he hadn't beaten Alexander Zverev in 10 years, that changed last night with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 win over the fourth seed who many expected to meet Sinner in the final. He hasn't had it easy either.

He saw off Alejandro Tabilo in three sets, thrashed Yannick Hanfmann, survived a late tiebreak against Hubert Hurkacz and then thrashed Carlos Alcaraz. Many thought Dimitrov who has always had the Mini Federer tag hanging over him had seen his time in the sun pass, but he has shown that similar to Adrian Mannarino and Novak Djokovic, life begins in your mid 30's.

At the age of 32, he has found his best form in years and stand s on the verge of his best title since the ATP Finals in 2017 and Cincinnati also in 2017. Don't discount Dimitrov in this final.

Albeit Head to Head wise, Dimitrov doesn't hold the cards, Sinner does. He has a 2-1 advantage wining last season twice in Miami 6-3, 6-4 and also at Beijing, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Going back to Rome in 2020 is Dimitrov's only win and Sinner is far superior now than he was back then. It will likely be a lengthy clash no matter what though with both at the top of their game.

Prediction - Jannik Sinner in three sets

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