Preview Miami Open ATP 2026 Final | Jannik Sinner closes in on historic Sunshine double as Jiri Lehecka targets more Czech success in Florida

The Sunshine swing is set to come to a close in some style. A whole load of tennis has been played out in California and Florida, with there being a possibility that Jannik Sinner will rule supreme in both. He will be targeting more success in the Miami Open against Jiri Lehecka, who sets his sights on more Czech glory in Miami. The final will take place on April 29.

It feels like Sinner is hitting his stride now. This is hugely ominous fashion for the rest of the tour, who are possibly thankful that this will be the last hardcourt match before the tennis swiftly diverts towards clay.

Sinner began the year slightly off-colour by his ludicrous standards. The two-time Australian Open champion relinquished his crown when defeated by Novak Djokovic at the semi-final stage in a five-set thriller before suffering a surprising defeat to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinal of the Qatar Open. However, any doubt and concern surrounding the world number two has been swiftly abolished with one fell swoop. He blasted his way towards the Indian Wells title, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final to clinch success for the first time without even dropping a set. He could become the eighth ATP player to complete the Sunshine double, last achieved by Roger Federer back in 2017.

Sinner's Masters 1000 record is absurd. He has won 32 consecutive sets, lasting from his triumph at the Paris Masters last year. He has become the first player to achieve three Masters 1000 finals on the spin without dropping a set, and another 2-0 win will not only extend this record but make him the first in history to win the Sunshine double without dropping a set. His last defeat in the Miami Open came in the 2023 final against Medvedev. He won the title in 2024 before being forced to watch from a distance as his suspension kicked in. His return has been emphatic

No one has stood a chance when facing down the four-time Grand Slam champion. Damir Dzumhur (6–3, 6–3) was the first to fall afoul of the Italian, closely followed by Corentin Moutet (6–3, 6–3). Alex Michelsen pushed him hard by just did not have the minerals to go the distance as Sinner got over the line (7–5, 7–6(4)). In a rematch of the 2024 Cincinnati Open final, Frances Tiafoe was blown away by Sinner (6–2, 6–2) as he reached a 15th Masters 1000 semi-final. His toughest test would come against a determined Alexander Zverev. The German could have made a match of it if he had taken his chances, but that was not the case as Sinner made it seven wins in a row against the world number three (6-3, 7-6(4)) and reached an 11th Masters 1000 final, a fourth in Florida.

It is set to be Lehecka's first Masters 1000 final for Lehecka. Still, the question is whether he can get over the line for his biggest title to date, following in the footsteps of fellow Czech tennis player Jakub Mensik, who won the 2025 title against Novak Djokovic. It will be a tall order, but he will have the belief that he has what it takes to get over the line.

His start to 2026 has not been as good as he would have hoped. After finishing 2025 inside the top 20, he has fallen out of it to 22nd in the world, ahead of the trip to Florida. He picked up just one win Down Under before making a brace of quarterfinals at the Qatar Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Lehecka was shunted out of Indian Wells at the opening stage against Sebastian Baez in straight sets.

While this seemed like a disastrous result, it may have played into the Czech’s hands with hindsight as he was able to get a substantial amount of rest before tackling the second half of the Sunshine swing. He has fully gotten over that diabolical result, just one win away from a third ATP title and his first higher than 250.

He started by taking down Moise Kouame (6-2, 7-5) before taking down a duo of Americans in the form of Ethan Quinn (6–3, 7–6(6)) and the number six seed Taylor Fritz (6–4, 6–7(4), 6–2). This result certainly attracted some attention as he looked to avoid an upset against Spanish qualifier Martín Landaluce. He successfully avoided any hindrance, winning 7–6(1), 7–5 to book his spot in a second Masters 1000 semi-final, closely following his 2024 Madrid Open run. He crushed French talent Arthur Fils, getting revenge for the defeat in Doha as he stormed through 6-2, 6-2 to break new ground. Now up to a career high of world number 14, he has the chance to boost himself up another two positions if he can clinch the title.

On the ATP Tour, the pair have played just three times, all coming relatively recently. As many would expect, Sinner has triumphed in all of these, linking to his recent dominance over pretty much everyone. Before that, they did meet on the Challenger Tour back in 2019, in which Sinner began his dominant streak over the Czech with a straight-sets win.

They would not step onto the court together until the quarterfinal stage of the 2024 Indian Wells. Sinner would come out a comfortable winner (6-3, 6-3) before repeating the actions at the same stage in the China Open later that year (6-2, 7-6(6)). Enroute to the Roland Garros final in 2025, Sinner thrashed the 24-year-old (6-0, 6-1, 6-2) at the last-32 round. It seems like a tall order for Lehecka to defeat Sinner. He will need to banish these prior results and play his best game to stand any chance, taking whatever opportunities come his way at the Hard Rock Stadium.