Fresh from his Indian Wells triumph, the Italian required little more than an hour on the main court at Hard Rock Stadium to see off the 30th seed.
Sinner dictated from the baseline and looked confident at the net, breaking serve repeatedly to take control. The victory also stretched his Masters 1000 winning streak to 13 matches without dropping a set, underlining his red-hot form.
“I am very happy. This sport is unpredictable, so we try to keep attention as much as we can and we will see what is coming in the next round.”
There was disappointment, however, for 2023 Miami champion Daniil Medvedev. The ninth seed, fresh from reaching the final in Indian Wells a week ago, was beaten by Francisco Cerundolo 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 in their first-ever meeting.
Cerundolo came flying out of the blocks, handing Medvedev a rare bagel set after three early breaks. Although the Russian regrouped to claim the second set, the decider swung back and forth. Medvedev clawed his way back to 5-5 after trailing, but a costly late double fault sealed his fate. It marked only the second time in his career that Medvedev has lost a set 6-0.
“I didn’t know what to expect… It was my first match against Daniil,” said Cerundolo after the match. “He’s probably one of the only guys on Tour who I have never played. He has had a great year so far, so I didn’t expect to be up 6-0 in the first set and a break up in the second.”
Elsewhere, the men’s draw saw more surprises. Felix Auger-Aliassime, seeded seventh, was beaten 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 by Terence Atmane.
Defending champion Jakub Mensik also exited after a gripping contest, falling to Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(11). Tiafoe saved multiple match points in a tense final-set tiebreak to secure his place in the next round.
