Sinner Completes Sunshine Double, Matches Federer Feat No Man Has Touched in 9 Years

Italian wins Miami without dropping a set, extends Masters streak to 34 consecutive sets, and sends warning to Alcaraz

 

 

 

March 29, 2026 | 5 min read


MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jannik Sinner walked off Stadium Court with a trophy in one hand and a piece of history in the other.

The world No. 2 defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday’s Miami Open final to complete the “Sunshine Double”—back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami. The last man to do it? Roger Federer in 2017.

The last man to do it without dropping a set across both events? No one. Until now.

“It means a lot to me. Winning the Sunshine Double for the first time, it’s incredible,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “It’s something I never would’ve thought [to win] because it’s difficult to achieve. We made it somehow, so I’m very happy.”

Sinner’s march through the Sunshine Swing was a statistical masterclass.

Tournament Sets Lost Tiebreaks Played Notable
Indian Wells 0 1 (final vs Medvedev) First Indian Wells title
Miami 0 0 Straight sets every round
Combined 0 1 First man to sweep both without dropping a set

 

The Italian extended his record to 34 consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 level, dating back to the start of last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.

He improved to 19-2 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

The Final: Sinner vs. Lehecka

Rain delayed the start by 90 minutes. When play finally began, Sinner went to work.

Key Stat Sinner Lehecka
Aces 5 4
First serve points won 83% 71%
Break points created 11 3
Break points converted 2 0
Net points won 6/9 (67%) 13/19 (68%)

 

Lehecka entered the final unbroken in Miami, having saved all nine break points he faced across five matches. That streak ended in Sinner’s first return game.

The Czech built a 0/40 lead in Sinner’s following service game, looking to break back immediately. Sinner responded with five straight first serves. Game over. Momentum never shifted.

Another rain delay interrupted play early in the second set. Lehecka will rue his service game at 4-4, where a routine forehand approach at 30/30 gave Sinner a break opportunity he didn’t waste.

One hour, 33 minutes after the first ball was struck, Sinner was champion.

The Sunshine Double: Exclusive Club

Player Year(s)
Jim Courier 1991
Michael Chang 1992
Pete Sampras 1994
Marcelo Rios 1998
Andre Agassi 2001
Roger Federer 2005, 2006, 2017
Novak Djokovic 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016
Jannik Sinner 2026

Sinner is the eighth man to complete the double. He’s the first to do it without dropping a set.

The Alcarax: A Rivalry Heating Up

Carlos Alcaraz started 2026 with a 16-match winning streak, titles at the Australian Open and Doha, and a seemingly insurmountable rankings lead.

Then came the Sunshine Swing.

Player Indian Wells Miami Rankings Gap
Alcaraz Semifinals (lost to Medvedev) 3rd round (lost to Korda) 13,550 points
Sinner Champion Champion 12,360 points

 

Sinner cut Alcaraz’s lead from 3,150 points to 1,190 points in less than a month.

“I tried to stay solid in very different conditions today, it was very heavy so it’s tough to go through the player,” Sinner said. “I tried to stay solid in important moments and I’m very happy to take this [trophy] home with me.”

What’s Next

Sinner now turns to the European clay-court swing. His record on clay is strong—he reached the French Open semifinals last year, losing to Alcaraz in five sets.

Lehecka, despite the loss, will rise to a career-high No. 14 in Monday’s rankings after his maiden Masters 1000 final appearance.

But Sunday belonged to one man.

“It’s something I never would’ve thought [to win],” Sinner said.

He won’t have to think about it anymore. He’s done it.

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