Jannik Sinner’s dominance on American soil continued on Sunday as he defeated Jiri Lehecka to secure the Miami Open title.
Sinner defeated Lehecka 6-4, 6-4, and is now only the eighth man in tennis history to win the coveted sunshine double: winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same calendar year.
Sinner was particularly impressive on serve against Lehecka, serving 10 aces and winning 92 per cent of his first-serve points.
The Italian has made major improvements to his serve since his poor serving performance in the 2025 US Open final.
Jim Courier and Chris Eubanks discussed these improvements in the immediate aftermath of Sinner’s Miami triumph.
Chris Eubanks says Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open triumph is ‘scary’ for Carlos Alcaraz
Courier began the Tennis Channel discussion, saying: “He’s [Sinner] not losing miles per hour [on serve], and the accuracy is something that we’ve talked a lot about in this tournament. We’ll continue to talk about how impressive it is for Jannik Sinner.
Is Jannik Sinner now the best server on the ATP Tour?
He won 18 points in a row on serve vs Jiri Lehecka…
“He’s ripping serves, right? The guy’s made the adjustment since the US Open when he had a poor serving day. And the team went, ‘hold on a second,’ this is not right. Service percentage was down around 60 percent for the season at that point.
“From there on, he’s been right around 68 percent with his first serve percentage and the accuracy and the speed. There’s been no change.
“Normally, if you’re going to get that kind of an uptick, you’re taking something off of it and you’re not going close to the line. Well, his first serve placement is anything but safe. It is risking the line all the time, Chris.
Eubanks [pictured below] built upon Courier’s analysis, praising the adjustments Sinner has made to his serve while sending a warning to Carlos Alcaraz and the ATP field.
“Yeah, and you hit the nail on the head, Jim,” Eubanks said. “Most times when players focus on increasing their first percentage, you got to maybe use a kick.
“The first serve you got to take a little bit off— maybe use body serve.
“He’s gotten more accurate, he’s hitting it bigger than ever, his percentage is going up, and then when you get the serve back, when you’re finally able to guess right and return something that’s landing two feet of the line.
“He’s also got a forehand on this side, a forehand on this side. He’s now using the drop shot. He’s running to the net. He’s doing all areas of the game so well. We love to see a player who’s had this much success continuing to find ways to get better.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| R128 | BYE | – |
| R64 | Damir Džumhur | 6–3, 6–3 |
| R32 | Corentin Moutet | 6–1, 6–4 |
| R16 | Alex Michelsen | 7-5, 7-6 |
| Quarter-final | Frances Tiafoe | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Semi-final | Alexander Zverev | 6–3, 7–6 |
| Final | Jiří Lehečka | 6–4, 6–4 |
“And I think that’s the thing that has to be scarier for the field. So I’m glad I’m sitting up here with you guys [laughing].
“And it’s also scary for Carlos Alcaraz because this is a rivalry that has been going back and forth.
“You said something earlier I thought was interesting. They both have the same number of career titles. But if I’m not mistaken, I think they also have the same number of points won against each other.
“The comparisons are uncanny between the two, so I’m looking forward to, for the next few years, seeing these guys have to counter each other and see.
“Okay, Jannik’s becoming a better server. Carlos is also making adjustments to his serve. They’re all tinkering with little things to try to be better, and the game is going to be better for it.”
Will Jannik Sinner overtake Carlos Alcaraz and become world number one? 🤔
If so, when will he do it?
Jannik Sinner’s next event
After winning the Miami Open, Jannik Sinner will travel back to Europe for the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Sinner, who only has one clay-court title to his name, last competed at the event in 2024 – losing in the semi-finals to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Sinner discussed how he will prepare for Monte-Carlo.
“I’m going to jump on the plane tomorrow. I’m going to be in Monaco around lunchtime on Tuesday.
“We’re aiming to go back on court on Thursday, slow but the body is going to hurt a bit.
“Then we’ll see how I’m going to feel.”
Will Jannik Sinner overtake Carlos Alcaraz and become world number one? 🤔
If so, when will he do it?
After competing in Monte-Carlo, Sinner will likely travel to Spain for the Madrid Open, before heading to Rome for the Italian Open.
Then he will head to Paris for the French Open.
