Second seed Jannik Sinner advanced to his seventh ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, his third in Miami, edging Czech player Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2 after one hour and 30 minutes on Wednesday.
Following his fourth quarterfinal match in four appearances in Miami, the San Candido native surpassed Australian Alex de Minaur for most wins on the ATP Tour this season, claiming his 20th victory.
An edgy start to the opener saw Sinner hit first, breaking to set off men’s quarterfinals action at Stadium Court, but so did Machac, breaking straight back and holding to take a 2-1 lead in their first meeting at tour level.
The Czech player would extend his advantage to 3-2 by fending off two break points in the fifth game before the Italian drew level at 3-3.
Showcasing great intensity on fast conditions, they went toe-to-toe, Sinner gracing the court with brilliance and Machac playing high-quality tennis from the other side of the net, contesting his maiden quarterfinal at a Masters 1000 event.
However, the 23-year-old dropped his serve in a crucial seventh game, which would see the two-time Miami runner-up maximize his chances to seal the first set 6-4 in 52 minutes.
Hitting the ball cleanly off both wings to dominate play, the Toronto winner stayed the course and broke twice in the second set to come out on top 6-2 in just 39 minutes.
Sharp on serve, he won 77 percent of the first serve points.
In addition, he converted four of 11 break-point opportunities, finishing with 16 winners and four unforced errors compared to Machac’s 12 and 15, respectively.
The winner of that clash between defending champion Daniil Medvedev and 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry will play Sinner in the semifinals.