Jannik Sinner continued his extraordinary dominance at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on Tuesday, securing a place in the Miami Open quarter-finals with a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) triumph over American Alex Michelsen.
The Italian, currently ranked second in the world, extended his unprecedented streak to 28 consecutive sets won at this elite level of competition.
Victory did not come easily for the four-time Grand Slam champion, however.
After claiming the opening set, Sinner found himself trailing 5-2 in the second before mounting a spirited comeback to clinch the tie-break.
Jannik Sinner had to work hard for his victory but he got there in the end
|REUTERS
The 24-year-old has now captured his last two Masters 1000 titles without dropping a single set.
His serve proved particularly effective against Michelsen, with Sinner converting 90 per cent of first serve points and delivering 15 aces throughout the contest.
"I feel like today especially the serve helped me very much, especially in important moments," he told Sky Sports following the match.
The Italian acknowledged room for improvement in his baseline game whilst expressing satisfaction with his mental fortitude.
"At the back of the court I'm not feeling perfect so will try to improve, but I'm happy to fight my way through this one," he said.
Alex Michelsen put on a fine show to take Jannik Sinner to the brink
|REUTERS
With the clay court season approaching, Sinner has his sights set on a maiden French Open crown.
Karolina Muchova became the first player to secure a semi-final berth in the women's draw, overcoming Canada's Victoria Mboko 7-5 7-6 (7-5) in a tightly contested encounter.
The Czech found herself in peril at 5-4 down, facing 0-30, before winning four consecutive points to level the opening set.
World number nine Mboko pushed Muchova to a second-set tie-break but could not force a decider.
"It was very close, basically one point at the end," Muchova reflected. "I tried to stay focused and stay aggressive."
She will next face Coco Gauff, after the Ameerica's win over Belinda Bencic, for a place in the final.
Elena Rybakina dispatched Australian Talia Gibson in emphatic fashion, recording a 6-2 6-2 before beating Jessica Pegula to reach the semi-final.
American home favourite Tommy Paul also progressed, defeating Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1 6-3 to reach his first Miami Open quarter-final.