Jannik Sinner Advances in Miami, Eyes World No. 1 Ranking on Clay: “Clay is Completely Different”

Jannik Sinner (24, World No. 2) has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open and was questioned about the possibility of reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking, currently held by Carlos Alcaraz.

Jannik Sinner secured his spot in the Miami quarterfinals after a hard-fought victory against American Alex Michelsen, winning 7-5, 7-6(4). The Italian, a champion in 2024, rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the second set to claim his 21st win at the Florida tournament.

“I felt like I served very well in important moments, which helped me a lot. Overall, it wasn't easy, because yesterday I played a night match, and today a day match, the conditions were very different. I tried to find solutions as the match progressed. Alex is a very strong player. He served very well and, especially in the second set, he sometimes played better than me. I just tried to keep up. I also had a bit of luck when he was serving for the set and had the sun in his face. I tried to return as much as I could, and that helped me,” Jannik Sinner explained to Tennis Channel.

Following Carlos Alcaraz's elimination, Jannik Sinner has emerged as the tournament favorite, especially after his triumph at Indian Wells. Since Novak Djokovic in 2016, no player has managed to win both tournaments, a feat known as the “Sunshine Double.” Seven players have achieved this in their careers: Jim Courier (1991), Michael Chang (1992), Pete Sampras (1994), Marcelo Rios (1998), Andre Agassi (2001), Roger Federer (2005, 2006, 2017), and Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016).

In the women's draw, only Steffi Graf (1994, 1995), Kim Clijsters (2005), Victoria Azarenka (2016), and Iga Swiatek (2022) have managed to win both tournaments in the same year. Aryna Sabalenka could also join this exclusive list, having won Indian Wells and now qualified for the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz's early exit in the third round has reignited discussions about the world No. 1 position, especially with the upcoming clay court season. Alcaraz has 4,330 points to defend on clay, while the Italian only has 1,950, having only played in Rome and Roland Garros in 2025.

• Rome – Finalist

• Roland Garros – Finalist

• Points Accumulated: 1,950

• Monte-Carlo – Winner

• Barcelona – Finalist

• Rome – Winner

• Roland Garros – Winner

• Points Accumulated: 4,330

“I am aware of these scenarios, but clay is a completely different beast. It depends on how you start and how you feel on that surface. Everything that follows is positive. Even if I lose earlier, I will still accumulate points because I don't have many to defend,” Jannik Sinner emphasized.

He added: “Given that he is number 1 and I am number 2, we know that the only possibility of facing each other is potentially in the final. Many difficult matches await us. You can lose in a second, but you don't win a tournament in the early rounds; there, you can only be eliminated early. I take things one step at a time, day by day, one opponent at a time.”

Before the Miami tournament, the point difference was 2,150 points. If the Italian wins, it will drop to 1,190. After the Miami tournament, Alcaraz and Sinner will be tied in terms of weeks spent as world No. 1, with 66 each.

Jannik Sinner doesn't want to dwell on the clay court season, as he is still in the midst of a tournament. “Right now, the most important thing is that I have a day off to recover. I've played a lot recently, almost three weeks in a row. I know I have to play my best tennis if I want to go far.”

Sinner will face Frances Tiafoe (World No. 20, 28) in the quarterfinals. The other quarterfinal matchups include Martin Landaluce (20, World No. 151) vs. Jiri Lehecka (24, World No. 22), Tommy Paul (28, World No. 23) vs. Arthur Fils (21, World No. 31), and Francisco Cerundolo (27, World No. 19) vs. Alexander Zverev (28, World No. 4).