Frances Tiafoe was blown away by Jannik Sinner as the Italian comfortably confirmed his place in the Miami Open semi-finals.
Sinner dropped just two games against Tiafoe to set up a tantalising semi-final match against Alexander Zverev in Miami.
The Italian has been rarely troubled so far in Miami and looks well on his way to secure the first Sunshine Double since Novak Djokovic in 2016.
Sinner’s level has been extraordinary in Miami and his latest victim, Tiafoe, has shared exactly what it’s like to play someone of the Italian’s level.
Frances Tiafoe shares why Jannik Sinner is so tough to play
Tiafoe had very few answers for Sinner’s crippling talent in their match and he was broken very early in both sets.
Despite suffering a heavy defeat, Tiafoe was self-aware enough to praise Sinner’s level rather than criticise his own game.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Tiafoe said: “No excuses. The guy is a hell of a player. He has showed it against everyone. I was not at my sharpest but he still put me in really, really tough positions.”
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Tiafoe noticed the most difficult part of playing Sinner after suffering his third straight loss against the star in Miami.
“The biggest thing I can think of is scoreboard pressure. He is number one or two in the world. He is a great front runner. That was the biggest issue today. Getting broken early in both sets.
“I want to see that match a bit different if I get to 3-3 or 4-4 and feel some scoreboard pressure on the other side, but it’s all good.”
The American believes Sinner’s unbelievable consistency is what makes him hardest to play, as he rarely misses and always remains at a high level.
“The biggest thing is that he can do the same thing over and over again. He hits the ball so cleanly with great depth and he does it over and over.
“He serves at a high clip the majority of times and makes the court feel pretty small with how well he moves and he also hits the ball pure as day, and plays the same point over and over again.
“It makes you feel like you have to overplay. He definitely tests your ball striking so it is an interesting match up.”
Sinner has lost just one match against Tiafoe in his career, which came at the Vienna Open way back in 2021.
The last time Jannik Sinner dropped a set at an ATP 1000 event
Sinner has now won 30 straight sets at Masters level following his straight sets victory against Tiafoe in Miami.
That has seen him break an incredible ATP record and the last time he dropped a set in a Masters event was the 2025 Shanghai Masters.
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That came in the third round of the Chinese Masters event as Sinner crashed out of the tournament to Tallon Griekspoor.
Sinner was marred by cramp in the match and he was forced to retire in the deciding set against the Dutchman.
Since then, he has won the Paris Masters and Indian Wells back-to-back without dropping a single set.
