Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Bublik 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Wednesday to reach his first career ATP Masters 1000 semifinal at the Miami Open.
The 19-year-old Italian, who is ranked 31st on the ATP Tour, used 28 forehand winners to advance in one hour and 41 minutes against Bublik, who mixed in an array of underhanded serves and other tactics to try upsetting Sinner’s rhythm.
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“We had a tough battle two weeks ago in Dubai. (It was) tough here today as well,” Sinner told Tennis Channel. “It was strange today. He was changing the game. … I never had this kind of match, to be honest. … I just tried to stay there, stick into the match and I am happy about my performance today.”
Sinner had to rally from 0-3 down in the second set to beat the No. 32 seed Bublik for the second time this year. Bublik, from Kazakhstan, lost to Sinner at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
In the 36-year history of the Miami Open, Sinnik is the eighth teenager to reach the semifinals. Five of the seven other teenagers to get this far have earned the No. 1 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
The 21st-seeded Sinner is also the second Italian player to reach the final four in Miami. Fabio Fognini made it to the semis in 2017.
In the semifinals, Sinner will take on either top seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia or No. 7 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, who faced each other Wednesday night.
–Field Level Media