Miami, March 22 (IANS) World No. 2 Jannik Sinner raced past Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3 in the Miami Open first-round match at the Hard Rock Stadium.

After lifting his maiden trophy for 2026 at Indian Wells, the Italian is bidding to become the first man to complete the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ since Roger Federer in 2017.

In his Miami opening win, Sinner dropped just eight points behind his delivery in the match. Now on a 12-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 events following his title runs at the Paris Masters in November and in Indian Wells, Sinner has tied Novak Djokovic’s record for the most consecutive sets won at that level (24), according to ATP Stats.

He will have the chance to move clear of the Serbian great by winning the opening set of his third-round encounter against 30th seed Corentin Moutet, who defeated Tomas Machac 6-0, 1-6, 6-4.

“I feel like the scoreboard matters at times. For me, I try to improve as a player and put myself in the position to play as many matches as possible. I always treat every opponent in the same way, trying to come on court and do my best with a great attitude and trying to go for it,” said Sinner about his streak of Masters 1000 straight-sets wins.

Sinner is chasing his second title in Miami, where he triumphed in 2024. The Italian has no ATP Rankings points to defend in South Florida, giving him the opportunity to build further momentum in his battle with Carlos Alcaraz for World No. 1.

Elsewhere, Alexander Shevchenko sent Ben Shelton to another early exit at the Miami Open with a comeback victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

With his 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3 upset, the Kazakhstani picked up his third Top 10 win and dropped Shelton to 1-4 at the biggest tournament in his adopted home state of Florida.

–IANS

bc/