Before they had both reached the semi-finals of the Miami Open, Jannik Sinner was hoping to play against Carlos Alcaraz. “I feel like he makes me a better player,” Sinner said of the Spaniard.

Well, that highly anticipated matchup did, in fact, happen on Friday night. And it was Sinner who was the better player.

In the latest chapter of what is becoming one of tennis’ best rivalries, Sinner avenged his Indian Wells semi-final loss to Alcaraz by prevailing 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 after three hours and one minute. It was another scintillating match between two of the ATP Tour’s brightest stars of both the present and the future.

Expectations have been extremely high for this matchup ever since Alcaraz beat Sinner in a five-set thriller on his way to the 2022 U.S. Open title — a match that was generally considered to be the best of the year. With big shoes to fill, the level of play between these two men did not disappoint at either stop during the Sunshine Double.

Sinner: “It’s just nice to be part of these kind of matches.”

And it’s not just the fans who appreciate it. Alcaraz and Sinner are well aware of their budding rivalry and are able to enjoy it, too.

“I feel something different about the crowd when I play against Jannik,” Alcaraz explained following Friday’s loss. “You know, I think around the world is probably all the people watching this match because I think it’s really beautiful to watch.

“Yeah, it was incredible crowd. I felt the energy, the love from the people when I was down. So for me it’s unbelievable to have this kind of feeling, this kind of support. For me it’s indescribable.”

“I think when both players play tennis like this, it’s also very nice to play,” said Sinner, who is now 3-4 lifetime in the head-to-head series with Alcaraz. “You can feel it. Also with the crowd. I think [there] was a great energy with everything. It’s just nice to be part of these kind of matches.”

Sinner vs Alcaraz point of the year?

Although breathtaking tennis was on display pretty much from start to finish, one point stood out above the rest. it came with Sinner serving at 4-2, 0-15 in the first set.