Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4) in the Miami Open semifinal on Saturday, extending his winning streak over the German to seven matches. The match featured heated disputes with chair umpire Greg Allensworth over time violations, drawing boos from the crowd. Sinner advanced to the final against Jiri Lehecka.
Jannik Sinner maintained his dominance over Alexander Zverev, securing a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in the Miami Open semifinal to reach the final. The win marks Sinner's seventh straight triumph against Zverev, bringing their head-to-head record to 8-4 in the Italian's favor, including two victories this year—one at Indian Wells and now in Miami. Sinner also extended his streak to 32 consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events and stands one win from achieving the Sunshine Double, last accomplished by Roger Federer in 2017. He is set to face Jiri Lehecka in Sunday's final presented by Itau. Early in the first set, with Zverev trailing 4-1, the German argued with chair umpire Greg Allensworth about time between points. Allensworth stated, “The two times you went over, you weren’t waiting on him.” Zverev countered, “I was. I know which ones you’re talking about… on the Ad side. I was.” Players have 25 seconds between points, with warnings and penalties for violations. Tension escalated in the second set at 3-3, 40-30 on Zverev's serve, when he received a time violation warning. The crowd booed, prompting Zverev to point at the umpire and say, “That’s for you.” Sinner also voiced frustration earlier at 2-1 in the first set after net points, telling Allensworth, “How is it possible to finish the point at the net? I go back, it’s five, three seconds.” He noted the automatic shot clock left little flexibility. Despite the drama, Sinner stayed composed, saving break points in the second set and winning the tie-break after Zverev mishit an overhead at 4-5. Zverev, reflecting post-match, said, “I know I’m probably not gonna break any records. One of the only things I care about is improving my game to win a Slam. That’s my main focus... I do feel like I’m capable.” Allensworth has faced prior scrutiny, including from Reilly Opelka at last year's Dallas Open, where Opelka called him “the worst ref in the ATP” after penalties for confronting a spectator.
