Jannik Sinner (No. 3) survives
Tallon Griekspoor (No. 26) with a score of 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 and advances to the fourth round of the
Miami Open. The Italian tennis player overcame a strong performance from his opponent and raised his level throughout the match to secure a difficult victory.
The first set was evenly matched, with both players registering a good percentage of first serves (74% for Griekspoor and 79% for Sinner). With a 2-1 lead, Sinner had his first break points, but couldn't convert them. Griekspoor faced some difficulties with his service, but managed to hold on to maintain the tie.
Neither player gave away too many points on their serve, but towards the end of the set, Sinner had an irregular service game where he gave his opponent the first two break opportunities, allowing Griekspoor to surprise him and take the first set 7-5.
This was only the second time this year that Sinner failed to win the first set, the first being in the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev, where he still managed to secure the victory.
In the second set, Griekspoor continued to play aggressively, holding his service and taking risks on the return. Sinner remained calm and won 89% of his service points in the set, constantly putting pressure on his opponent. Just like in the first set, it seemed like it would go to a tie-break, but just before, Sinner managed to break, leveling the set at 7-5 and forcing a third set.
There wasn't much tension in the third set as the recent Grand Slam champion showed his superiority, breaking early in his first opportunity and taking a 3-0 lead within minutes. Griekspoor couldn't do much from behind and with the pressure on his shoulders, he conceded his service for the second time in the sixth game, giving Sinner a sufficient advantage to close out the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.
In the fourth round, Sinner will face the winner between Australian Christopher O’Conell (No. 66) or the local surprise Martin Damm (No. 204), a 20-year-old who achieved his maiden tour-level main draw win this week.
