MIAMI — Three years after tossing and turning the night before his first Miami Open final, worried he may never again reach a final of a top-tier tournament, Jannik Sinner, now the defending Australian Open champion, lifted the Miami trophy he so craved on his third try.

The 22-year-old Italian redhead with the carrot-costumed fans needed just over an hour to beat Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-3, 6-1 on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.

During his trophy ceremony, just before receiving his $1.1 million victory check, Sinner shared that he spoke to tournament director James Blake before the match and Sinner told Blake he hoped the third time would be the lucky one.

“I’m really happy I can hold this time the big trophy,” Sinner said. “It’s one of the best tournaments, and I’m so grateful. This is such a special place for me. The atmosphere has been amazing.”

Sinner moves up to No. 2 in the world rankings with the win and said of that achievement: “I never thought I would come to this point. I am from a very normal family, my Dad is still working, as is my Mom. So, for me, sport is one thing and life is different. I’m enjoying every moment.”

Sinner is the highest ranked Italian men’s player in history and first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in nearly a half century. The last Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title was Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open.

He grew up in the German-speaking part of the Italian Alps. His parents worked at a ski lodge where his father, Johann, was a chef and his mother, Siglinde, was a waitress. Jannik was a promising ski racer before choosing tennis.

Sinner said his parents continue to work and travel only to a handful of his tournaments.

“They will continue to do their life, and I will do my life,” Sinner said. “I have a grandma and grandpa who are a certain age, and they want to stay close to them. They live in a beautiful place, so they have a good life there. For sure, I missed time with my parents because I left home when I was 13, 14, so I haven’t had a lot of time with them. Hopefully, I can make it up in the future. But, if they are happy, I am happy.”

The first time Sinner reached the Miami Open final, in front of a COVID-reduced capacity Grandstand audience in 2021, he lost to Hubert Hurkacz as a nervous 19-year-old.

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