A win put Mensik alongside a string of tennis legends
Jakubu Mensik replicated the Miami Open feat of Nadal, Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz.
In a thrilling semi-final at the Hard Rock Stadium, Czech teenager Mensik defeated world number four Fritz 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) in a match that lasted 2 hours and 24 minutes.
As a result, Mensik became only the fifth junior player in the last 20 years to reach the final of the Miami Open men's singles, and the rest of the players on this list are just as legendary.
Since 2005, Nadal (2005), Djokovic (2007), Sinner (2021) and Alcaraz (2022) are the only players to reach the Miami Open title race before the age of 20. Now the list can be added with one name: Mensik (2025).
In a match-game that was almost dominated by serve, Fritz made the only break of the match in the second set, while Mensik won the crucial first and third ties.
Mencik had a 72 per cent first-serve success rate and 25 aces, while he won 82 per cent of his first serve and 54 per cent of his second serves.
His backhand was also a highlight, contributing 25 of his 40 winning points!
The 19-year-old is chasing his first professional title, reaching the final for the second time in his career and reaching the final of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.
Menswick, who was ranked 54th in the world before the start of the Miami Open, has soared 24 places to No. 30 in the live ATP rankings with 640 points from the tournament.
Mensik also became only the fourth junior to win multiple ATP top-10 rankings at Masters since the format was introduced in 1990. He defeated seventh-ranked Draper in the second round and fourth-ranked Fritz in the semifinals. He became the fourth ATP star after Nadal, Alcaraz and Rune to accomplish this feat.
Mensik will face 24-time Grand Slam title Novak Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open, who he considers his greatest idol.
Djokovic is chasing his seventh Miami title, a record 41st Masters title, and the 100th ATP Tour singles title of his career.
In the only meeting between the two sides, Mencik was beaten 6-7(4)/6-1/6-4 by Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Speaking about the second match against Djokovic, Mensik said:
"Now I'm completely different [compared to the fight in Shanghai]. I was a little nervous. Of course, I'm not saying I won't be nervous when I play on Sunday. But in that [Shanghai] match, I couldn't control my nervousness very well. Now I'm a little bit more mentally mature.
"Now that I'm playing, I feel like the conditions and everything here are perfect for me. I felt very comfortable on the pitch. So, I'm going to give it my all on Sunday to win the game. There is no doubt about that. ”
Some foreign media have calculated that there is an age difference of 18 years and 102 days between the 19-year-old Mensik and the 38-year-old Djokovic, which will be an unprecedented age gap in the final of the ATP1000 Masters event. It is said that people are not good at counting, isn't this very accurate? Or let's check it carefully:
Novak Djokovic: Born May 22, 1987.
Menswick: Born on September 1, 2005.
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