Jannik Sinner dismantled the record books along with Frenchman Corentin Moutet at the Miami Open, extending his extraordinary run to 26 consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events. The 24-year-old Italian world number two needed just 71 minutes to dispatch Moutet 6-1, 6-4, surpassing Novak Djokovic's 10-year-old record of 24 straight sets that had stood since 2014.
The dominance was immediate and unrelenting. Sinner won 19 of the first 26 points, racing through the opening set in just 22 minutes before Moutet could find his footing on the Hard Rock Stadium court.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has now won his last two Masters 1000 tournaments — Indian Wells earlier this month and Paris in November — without dropping a single set. It's a level of sustained excellence that places him in rare company, surpassing even Djokovic's remarkable consistency at tennis's highest level below the Grand Slams.
"I am very happy. This sport is unpredictable, so we try to keep attention as much as we can and we'll see what is coming in the next round," Sinner said after the victory, displaying the measured confidence that has defined his meteoric rise.
The second set followed a similar script. Sinner broke Moutet's serve in the fifth game, converting his fourth break point to effectively end French resistance. From there, he served out the match without facing a single break point, showcasing the clinical efficiency that has made him one of the sport's most feared competitors.
Sinner will face American Alex Michelsen in the round of 16, continuing his pursuit of a historic achievement. The Sunshine Double — sweeping both premier hard court events in the California desert and South Florida — has been accomplished by only the sport's elite. Federer's 2017 sweep came during his remarkable late-career renaissance, while Djokovic completed the double in 2011 and 2015.
While Sinner advanced with surgical precision, the day's drama belonged to former world number one Daniil Medvedev, whose tournament ended in bizarre fashion. The Russian, who had beaten Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells, fell to Francisco Cerundolo 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 in a match interrupted when umpire Mohamed Lahyani's elevated chair became entangled with the aerial 'spider cam' that travels over the court during matches.
Lahyani was forced to climb down from his chair as tournament staff worked to prevent it from toppling over — a surreal moment that seemed to epitomize Medvedev's frustrating day on court.
"I didn't know what to expect, it was a great match, super tough," said Cerundolo, who recorded his first victory over Medvedev. "It was my first match against Daniil. He's probably one of the only guys on tour who I have never played. He has had a great year so far."
- Sinner can close gap on world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who exited early in Miami
- A Miami title would complete the Sunshine Double, achieved by only tennis legends
- The Italian's Masters 1000 dominance continues a season that began with Australian Open triumph
Sinner's 26-set streak reveals the extraordinary consistency required to dominate tennis's elite level. Winning every single set across multiple tournaments against the world's best players demands not just exceptional tennis, but the mental fortitude to execute under constant pressure.
That Sinner has maintained this standard while competing for the world number one ranking adds another layer to his achievement. With Alcaraz's early exit in Miami, the Italian has a golden opportunity to reduce the Spaniard's lead at the top of the ATP rankings.
For Djokovic, seeing his record fall represents another marker in tennis's ongoing generational transition. The 24-time Grand Slam champion's 2014 streak had demonstrated his unmatched consistency during the peak years of the Big Four era. Now, a new generation led by Sinner and Alcaraz is writing its own chapters in the sport's record books.