Jannik Sinner Shows Amazing Sportsmanship by Conceding the Point Against Corentin Moutet in Miami

Jannik Sinner to face Alex Michelsen in the fourth round of the Miami Open.

Jannik Sinner Shows Amazing Sportsmanship by Conceding the Point Against Corentin Moutet in Miami

Jannik Sinner showed amazing sportsmanship (via X/The Tennis Letter)

In Short
  • Jannik Sinner advanced to the fourth round of the Miami Open after defeating Corentin Moutet in straight sets.
  • Sinner demonstrated sportsmanship by conceding a point during the match, acknowledging he touched the ball before it went out.
  • Carlos Alcaraz's unexpected loss has increased expectations for Sinner to win the tournament without dropping a set.

Jannik Sinner earned his place in the fourth round of the Miami Open after defeating Corentin Moutet in straight sets. The World No.1’s straightforward wins at the Hard Rock Stadium mean he has now won 26 consecutive sets at the Masters 1000 level tournament, and he’s moving clear from Novak Djokovic, who previously set the record at 24.

Sinner has been in red-hot form since arriving for the Sunshine Doubles. Before that, he had not reached a final on tour and fallen to players ranked below him in the ATP rankings. However, the Indian Wells Open proved to be the difference for the Italian star as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final to win the tournament.

The four-time Grand Slam champion continued with his form at the Miami Open, winning his second-round match before facing Moutet on Monday (March 23). During their clash, in the first set, Sinner showed magnificent sportsmanship by voluntarily conceding a point that could have been very contentious and subject to review.

Moutet had served, and Sinner returned swiftly. The Frenchman then hit a forehand shot that hit Sinner’s feet, although it bounced beyond the baseline, but the ball’s speed prompted the Italian star to quickly return the ball, which he failed to tightly. Play was immediately stopped as umpire Fergus Murphy didn’t notice any interference.

But the umpire was hoping to review the point before making a decision on the winner of it. But before he could do so, Sinner informed him that he had touched the ball even though it was going out of his baseline. He then proceeded by saying that Moutet should be given the point and that it was okay with him. Umpire Murphy decided not to go on with the review:

I think I touched it. It bounced before I then touched it before playing it. I give you the point. It’s okay, okay.

Sinner wasted no time as he won the next point. He dominated the first set 6-1 against the Frenchman. But in the second set, Moutet gave a near-perfect performance, hitting drop shots that caught Sinner unawares.

But Sinner broke him at the crucial ninth game and then served for the winner 6-1, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open. Sinner, who didn’t play the tournament last year due to a doping suspension, has no points to defend at the event.

Jannik Sinner focused on winning the Miami Open after Carlos Alcaraz’s exit

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shocking third-round loss against Sebastian Korda in the third round of the Miami Open. The World No.1 was seeking to reach the final of the tournament for the first time since 2022, but Korda produced one of his best displays to defeat Alcaraz for the second time in his career.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

That has now made the media believe that Jannik Sinner will win the Miami Open. In fact, three gave already expectations that he will not drop a set as several top 20 players have already crashed out of the tournament. But Sinner is not letting that get into his head. During his press conference, he noted that the sport remains unpredictable:

I am very happy. This sport is unpredictable, so we try to keep attention as much as we can and we’ll see what is coming in the next round. There’s Ben [Shelton], Tien, Shapovalov, Moutet. I don’t want to forget other players, but we try to prepare in the best way possible, trying to be tactical and as perfect as possible.

Sinner will face American star Alex Michelsen in the fourth round of the Miami Open. Michelsen defeated Alejandro Tabilo in three sets to reach the round of 16. The Italian star is expected to breeze past Michelsen in their tie. Should Sinner win the Miami Open, he will be the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to win the Sunshine Doubles.

Also Read: Taylor Fritz Says He Ignores Rankings While Facing World No.1s: “See Them as Best Guys and Nothing More”