Miami Open: Jannik Sinner Eases Past Damir Dzumhur, Jakub Mensik Forced To Work By Adam Walton

Last Updated:March 22, 2026, 12:42 IST

Sinner posted a win over Damir Dzumhur in straight sets as he powered to a 6-3, 6-3 triumph, while holder Mensik rallied to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Australian Walton.

Jannik Sinner made a smooth start on Saturday at the Miami Open, while defending champion Jakub Mensik shook off a horrible first set to win his opening match.

Just six days after lifting the Indian Wells trophy, Sinner began his bid for the “Sunshine Double" in confident fashion, defeating 76th-ranked Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3.

“First-round matches are never easy," said the 24-year-old Italian, who won the 2024 Miami crown.

After beating Daniil Medvedev for his first Indian Wells title, Sinner is aiming to become the first player to win both the Indian Wells and Miami ATP Masters 1000 titles in the same year since Roger Federer in 2017.

He wrapped up the first set against Dzumhur in 34 minutes and broke the Bosnian for a 2-1 lead in the second set, then broke again on match point with a backhand winner.

“Starting off with a break straight away, I tried to be a bit aggressive," said Sinner, who dropped just eight points on serve. “At times it worked very well, at times I made a couple of unforced errors. But I didn’t have a lot of time to adjust here. It’s very different than in Indian Wells."

Former world number one Medvedev also had little time to adjust, but he battled back for a 6-7 (10/12), 6-3, 6-1 victory over 19-year-old Japanese wildcard Rei Sakamoto.

Mensik, who lost in the third round at Indian Wells, was feeling the after-effects of illness as well as the pressure of defending his title in a rocky first set, but he steadied himself to defeat Australian Adam Walton 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

“The first set it was horrible from my side," the Czech said.

After surrendering his serve twice in the opening set, Mensik regrouped and broke Walton in the first game of the second set on his way to forcing a decider. With a break in hand for a 3-1 lead in the third, he closed out the match.

“It was really difficult to come back to the match rhythm," Mensik said. “(I’m) really happy that mentally I stayed focused and tough. The pressure that was around, I tried not to focus on that, tried to focus on my game."

Fourth-seeded German Alexander Zverev cruised into the third round with a 6-2, 6-4 win over 133rd-ranked American Martin Damm. However, eighth-seeded home hope Ben Shelton was ousted by Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

News sports tennis Miami Open: Jannik Sinner Eases Past Damir Dzumhur, Jakub Mensik Forced To Work By Adam Walton

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