Jannik Sinner is on the cusp of rewriting Italian tennis history at the end of the 2024 Miami Open.
Sinner surrendered his undefeated streak this season at the Indian Wells Masters, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in a thriller. That match was set to determine who would be ranked World No. 2 at the end of the tournament.
The Spaniard not only secured the No. 2 ranking for at least another fortnight but also won the final to capture his first ATP title in eight months. Alcaraz's success has only fuelled Sinner's ambition to achieve more in Miami.
Sinner summoned his best tennis when he needed to, escaping with a three-set win over World No. 26 Tallon Griekspoor and did not look back. Straight sets victories over Christopher O'Connell and Tomas Machac followed.
He will contest his third Miami Open semifinal on Friday in an Australian Open rematch against Daniil Medvedev. Sinner trails in their head-to-head 4-6, but he has beaten the Russian in each of the last four meetings, giving him an edge in their latest showdown.
With Alcaraz losing the chance to win the Sunshine Double following a shock defeat to Grigor Dimitrov, Sinner will have destiny in his own hands in unseating his fellow rival from the No. 2 ranking come Monday.
He will need to defeat Medvedev on Friday and then win the title on Sunday to do so, which will take his points tally to 8,710. Alcaraz currently owns 8,645 after losing 145 points for losing in the quartefinal stage.
Sinner is already at a career-best ranking of No. 3, having replaced Medvedev for that honor last month. This is the highest an Italian man has ever reached in the ATP rankings, but the 22-year-old is not stopping there.
He remains in pursuit of the world No. 1 spot. This season, he has unquestionably been the world's best player, amassing more points than Novak Djokovic and the rest.