“Thank you, Grigor.” This, more or less, is the note from Jannik Sinner to Dimitrov, after the Bulgarian achieved the surprise of the day, beating the favorite of the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, Carlos Alcaraz.
On the Florida hard courts, the 32-year-old Bulgarian, n.12 in the world, managed to eliminate the n. in the quarterfinals. 2 in the ranking clearly in two sets, 6-2 6-4.
Why is it a great courtesy to the blue? Because at this point, if Sinner ever managed to conquer the tournament, he would also overtake Alcaraz in the rankings, taking second position in the world.
It would be a fairytale Easter, as the final in Miami is scheduled for Sunday. And so the Italian tennis player would return to Europe to start the clay season as the first challenger to the reign of Djokovic (who, in crisis, has fired his coach Ivanisevic).
But, to get the prize Jannik Sinner will have to climb two mountains. The first, tonight at 8pm, against Daniil Medvedev who is waiting for him. The Russian, who for years was Jannik’s taboo (he had won the first six direct clashes), is back from four consecutive defeats, and his last victory against the blue dates back to Miami 2023, the Masters final.
Not only that: the Russian will seek revenge from his last match, the one in the Slam final in Melbourne, which he lost in a heartbreaking way, with Sinner’s comeback from two sets down. A complicated match therefore.
And if Sinner passes the test, there will then be the final, as mentioned, on Sunday: will the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or the German Alexander Zverev be there? They will play at midnight in Italy. And a final is still an unknown.
Finally, we will also cheer for Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, in the semifinals of the women’s doubles, opposing the Americans Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. They will play during the night, after Dimitrov-Zverev.
