DOUBLES partners and rising stars on the ATP Tour, Jannik Sinner and Hubert Hurkacz will put their friendship aside when they do battle on the Grandstand Court to determine the 2021 ATP 1000 Miami Open winner later today. Hurkacz and Sinner both toppled Top 10 opponents in respective upsets, and will now face off in the decider, with one player to record the biggest win of their career.

The 26th seeded Hurkacz knocked off the red-hot Andrey Rublev in straight sets 6-3 6-4 in a remarkable effort to book his pot in the final. The Pole served up eight aces to two, and won 75 per cent of his first serve points off a 60 per cent efficiency. He also broke three times to one, saving four of five break point opportunities created by the Russian. Rublev could not get his second serve success rate going, winning just 38 per cent of his points, while Hurkacz won 48 per cent.

“It means a lot, especially after winning a title at the beginning of the year, I had a couple of rough matches,” Hurkacz said post-match. “So I’m so happy that I came over and I was still trying to improve my game and trying to be a better player. “This is really huge for me.”

The match lasted one hour and 28 minutes, and after winning the Delray Beach Open earlier this year, Hurkacz is on a nine-game winning streak in Florida, ad eyeing off a third ATP Tour trophy. The Pole underdog said they Sinner was a good friend, but looked forward to taking him on in the final.

“We played doubles together last week in Dubai,” Hurkacz said. “Now we’re playing in the final of a Masters 1000 event, so it’s going to be a fun match.”

On the other hand, Sinner triumphed in a come-from-behind victory over seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut, winning 5-7 6-4 6-4 to secured his spot in the Miami Open final. The Italian 19-year-old served up five aces to two, and broke four times to three in the tight contest, only winning seven more points than his opponent. He marginally shaded him across all the service and returning statistics to be able to keep his run going in style, hitting 37 winners to 12.

“It feels unbelievable,” Sinner said post-match. “It’s always tough to play against Roberto. Two weeks ago we played in Dubai, we had a tough one there. Now, a tough one here. I’m very happy about reaching the final here in Miami.”