By Rory Carroll
March 21 (Reuters) – Jannik Sinner put on a scintillating display in his opening match at the Miami Open on Saturday, hammering Damir Dzumhur 6-3 6-3 as he looks to complete the coveted “Sunshine Double” after his triumph in Indian Wells last weekend.
Sinner did not play at Indian Wells or Miami last year while serving a three-month suspension following a settlement over a doping violation.
If he lifts the trophy in South Florida next weekend, he would become the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to win the two U.S. hard court tournaments in the same year.
Second seed Sinner dominated world number 76 Dzumhur with his pinpoint serves and blistering groundstrokes, winning 14 of 17 points when he went to the net.
“First matches are never easy,” said the Italian, who received a bye into the second round.
“I’m happy with today’s performance, now let’s see what’s coming.”
The 2024 champion said the Miami hard courts and conditions suit his game.
“The ball is not bouncing as much, which is something that I really like.”
Saturday’s win was Sinner’s 12th in a row at a Masters 1000 tournament dating back to his victory at the Paris Masters last year.
The 24-year-old has now won 24 consecutive sets at the Masters 1000 level, tying a record held by Novak Djokovic.
Sinner will have a chance to break that record against Frenchman Corentin Moutet on Monday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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