Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Hubert Hurkacz Beats Jannik Sinner in Straight Sets, Wins 2021 Miami Open Final

Rob Goldberg

Hubert Hurkacz completed his dream run at the Miami Open with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final.

The 24-year-old followed up his consecutive wins over top-10 opponents (Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev) with a win over Sinner, who was the youngest Masters 1000 finalist since Rafael Nadal in 2005. It's the third career title for Hurkacz.

The prestigious tournament was wide-open without several of the sport's biggest names such as Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, leaving American John Isner as the only former champion in the field. An upset-filled draw left a battle between No. 21 seed Sinner against No. 26 Hurkacz in the final.

A strong performance from the Polish star was then enough to clinch the biggest win of his young career.

Hurkacz was the sharper player early, jumping out to a 3-0 start in the first set before eventually closing it out in the tiebreak.

Sinner had appeared unflappable for much of the tournament, but he made several mistakes early to cost him.

The 19-year-old flashed his potential by turning an early deficit into a 6-5 advantage in the first set, using an impressive backhand to put him in front:

He unfortunately missed his chance to serve for the first set, getting broken to love before falling in the tiebreak. He had four double-faults to just one ace in the opening set while getting just 57 percent of his first serves in play.

The second set followed a similar plot.

Hurkacz built a 4-0 lead that appeared enough to cruise to an easy victory until Sinner fought back with three straight wins, eventually closing the count to 5-4.

Once again, Hurkacz did enough to hold on for the win and close out a shocking title run:

The eventual winner didn't save any of his three break points in the final, but he won 69 percent of his first-serve points and took advantage of Sinner's mistakes throughout the match. 

It represents an important moment for Hurkacz, who will climb the rankings after his first Masters 1000 title.

The past two weeks showed he can be a legitimate contender going forward and potentially a key part of the sport's next generation of stars. He will hope to keep the momentum going in upcoming Masters events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome before Roland Garros in May.

   

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