Sinner sweeps past Lehecka in Miami final to capture "Sunshine Double"

Jannik Sinner beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 in a rain-hit Miami Open final on Sunday, becoming the first male tennis player to complete the coveted "Sunshine Double" without dropping a set.

Italy's World No. 2 won 92% of his first-serve points and saved each of the three break points he faced, en route to a victory that extended his string of Masters 1000 matches without dropping a set to 17.

Sinner, who played around with a soccer ball ahead of a match that was delayed by approximately 90 minutes due to rain, broke early for a 3-1 lead, before leaning on his serve to close out the first set with a hold at love.

The rain returned during the opening game of the second set, forcing the players off the court for about 90 more minutes. Sinner once again kept loose with a soccer ball that he passed around with members of his team.

Lehecka, the World No. 22 from the Czech Republic playing in his first Masters 1000 final, fought off five break points over a pair of service games in the second set, followed by a hold at love to briefly grab a 4-3 edge, before Sinner reasserted himself.

Sinner made good on his sixth break point opportunity in the second set to pull ahead 5-4 and sealed the deal on serve, lashing a forehand volley into the open court on his first championship point.

"We did a lot of work to be in this position, so I'm really, really happy and I'm also happy to go back home now," he said after the match.

The 24-year-old became the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to win the Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back, a feat known as the "Sunshine Double" due to the respective locations of the two early-season tournaments in California and Florida.

Sinner's triumph also makes him the eighth member of a club that, in addition to Federer, also includes Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, Marcelo Rios, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Jim Courier.