Jannik Sinner absolutely hammers Daniil Medvedev at the Miami Open

It is not meant to be hyperbole to say that Jannik Sinner might have beaten nearly any player ever the way he played against Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal of the Miami Open. After jumping out to a 5-love lead in the first set, Sinner was just as dominant in the second set. The only difference was that Medvedev was lucky - literally lucky - enough to win a second game.

But to be sure, as great of a player as Medvedev is - and he is a fantastic player - he was zero match for the level the Italian was playing on Friday. Part of the issue was that Medvedev started with an incorrect strategy. Instead of playing 18 feet deep as he normally does on returns, he attempted to crunch Sinner and was playing about 4 feet deep.

This was a mistake as the problem for Medvedev was not Sinner's speed but his placement. And this did not just extend to Sinner's serve. Whether he was going cross-court with his forehand or down the line with his backhand, the ATP No. 3 was in full control of his entire arsenal. Potentially Medvedev could have played his normal way of taking serves deep, but this might have only decreased the ultimate difference in the score.

Jannik Sinner was untouchable against Daniil Medvedev at the Miami Open

Sinner was the better player. Medvedev was clearly aware of this as he was adjusting to what he was thinking Sinner was going to do even before the match fully got underway. If a player is already on their back foot to start the match, there is little chance they have to win.

The Russian tried to play closer to the net as well, but as that is not his strength, he was likely to fail. One cannot critique Medvedev too hard, however. What else was he going to do against the onslaught of Jannik Sinner?

The Italian finished with 15 winners against just 12 unforced errors. Medvedev has just 7 winners against 22 unforced errors. Still, the Russian had to do something to try to change the potential outcome. In the end, he, like maybe any other current player, was powerless to stop the Italian.

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