TENNIS: Red-hot Sinner overcomes Michelsen to reach Miami quarters

World No. 2 Jannik Sinner came from behind in the second set to beat American Alex Michelsen 7-5, 7-6(4) on Tuesday, advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2026 Miami Open. The victory extends Sinner’s record streak of consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events.

Sinner narrowly won a tight first set before facing a tougher challenge in the second, trailing 5-2 as Michelsen raised his level from the baseline. The Italian rallied to force a tiebreak, which he closed out to maintain his perfect record against the American and extend his remarkable streak of straight-set wins at Masters 1000 tournaments to 28.

“I felt like the serve helped me quite a lot today, especially in important moments and in the tiebreak, so I'm happy about that,” Sinner said during his on-court interview. “I know that if I want to go far in this tournament, I have to improve from the back of the court. Tomorrow is a day off, which helps me, and I will try to find good rhythm in the practice session. Then we'll see how things go.”

This win also marks Sinner’s 20th Masters quarter-final appearance. He remains in contention for the rare "Sunshine Double" after winning the title at Indian Wells earlier this month without dropping a set.

At 24 years old, Sinner could become the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to claim both U.S. hard-court Masters titles in the same season.

-Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters