Sinner, Hurkacz play for biggest title of careers

When the three most prominent names in tennis — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — all sent their regrets to this year’s Miami Open, the buzz was all about which of the nexttier players would take advantage of the opening.

The talk naturally centered on newly minted No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 7 Alexander Zverev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev as the most likely candidates to emerge as champion.

No disrespect intended, but no one seriously touted Jannik Sinner of Italy and Hubert Hurkacz of Poland — two close friends, occasional doubles partners, ranked just outside the top 30 — to be playing against each other for the first-time in their careers in the Miami Open final Sunday.

To reach the championship match, the No. 31 ranked Sinner upset No. 7 Roberto Bautista Agut in the semifinals, while the No. 37 ranked Hurkacz toppled Tsitsipas in the quarters and Rublev in the semifinals.

Playing for the biggest title of their careers, both Sinner and Hurkacz enter Sunday’s championship match with an unblemished 2-0 record in career finals. The winner will be the first player this season to take home two titles.

Hurkasz, 24, is currently enjoying a 9-0 winning streak in South Florida having won the Delray Beach title in January.

“I knew that Novak and Rafa, and Dominic (Thiem) and Roger not gonna play this event, so it’s gonna be like some of

compete for jobs with her male counterparts, found herself slighted — intentional or unintentional — despite her extensive experience.

It was frustrating, yes. But nowhere near enough to deter her from fulfilling her dream.

“I think what brings you back to neutral is you either deal with it or you go home,” Ng said, “and I’ve never wanted to go home.”

That led Ng to Nov. 13, when she was hired as the Marlins’ general manager. The hire made her the first female general manager in MLB history and the first woman hired to a general manager position by any professional men’s sports team in North America’s major leagues.

That led Ng to Feb. 17, her “Christmas morning,” when she stepped foot at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex to watch the Marlins’ first spring training workout under her tenure. She would spend the next six weeks roaming the back fields on a golf cart, watching big-league players and prospects take batting practice, sitting four rows behind home plate during Grapefruit League games to get an up-close look at the players and having conversations with everyone from CEO Derek Jeter to the player development staff to coaches to players to make sure she had the most up-to-date pulse on her club.

And that led Ng to Thursday, when a Marlins roster with her imprint took the field at loanDepot park (the new name for Marlins Park) and began the 2021 season against the Tampa Bay Rays. The first series concluded Saturday.

Ng’s goal is simple:

Keep the Marlins on their upward trajectory toward sustainable success and build on their playoff run from a year ago.

But her impact, the glass-shattering moment that came with her hiring and moments that are still to come, extend beyond one team or one sport.

“You’re bearing the torch for so many,” Ng said. “That is a big responsibility, but I take it on.”

‘ALL SHE NEEDED WAS AN OPPORTUNITY’

The chance to have this responsibility is part of a process more than three decades in the making.

Indianapolis-born and New York City-raised, always with either a bat or a tennis racket in hand growing up, Ng has a resume that stacks up among the top candidates for the job.

Start with her 31 years of experience in baseball operations. This includes 14 as an assistant general manager with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. She was part of eight playoff runs and three World Series championships as an executive.

She became the youngest person to be hired as an assistant general manager when she took on that role for the Yankees in 1998 at 29 years old. Two years later, she played a key role in negotiating Jeter’s contract extension that ended up being 10 years and $189 million. That was the second-largest contract in baseball at the time, behind Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year, $252 million deal earlier that offseason.

She spent the past nine years as the MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations, a role that made her the highestranking Asian-American female baseball executive.

“I don’t think the question should be, ‘Why?’ ” Ng said. “It should just be ‘Why not?’ It’s been huge for many young women, for little girls, for teenagers, for all of them to see.”

Despite this, it took until November to get her shot.

She had applied for at least five jobs of similar ranking during the past 15 years to no avail.

“All she needed was an opportunity,” said Jeter, who is now Ng’s boss as the Marlins’ CEO. “Everyone talked about how historic it was, but I didn’t make this decision to be historic. I made this decision because it was the best decision for the organization.”

‘IT MEANS PROGRESS’

Now, that doesn’t mean the history is lost on her. Ng understands what her platform means.

An example: At the start of spring training, Ng brought up the story of a family friend whose 8year-old daughter found a surprise in her homework one night.

“She came running to her parents, my friends, and said ‘Look! Miss Kim is in my homework book!’ ” Ng said. “Apparently I was in the book, the pamphlet they had passed out at the school. That’s when you realize just what a big impact it’s been, that I’ve been able to have.

“Again,” Ng continued, “it’s not really about me. It’s about all the women that came before me and the women that hopefully come after, but it really has had a profound effect.”

And Ng knows she’s not the only one. Just look at what has transpired in the sports world over the past year.

Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play and record a point in a Power Five conference football game. The San Antonio Spurs’ Becky Hammon became the first woman to act as head coach in the four major North American male professional sports. Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl.

One year earlier, three female coaches — Alyssa Nakken with the San Francisco Giants, Rachel Balkovec with the New York Yankees and Rachel Folden with the Chicago Cubs — were hired to join major-league staffs.

“For me it means progress,” Ng said. “In a lot of ways, that aspect of me getting this job has been just so meaningful and looking at the other events that have taken place it’s profound. It’s really opened a lot of eyes.”

What does Ng think about being part of this movement?

“A big smile comes to my face first,” Ng said. “Probably the next thought is ‘Hell, yes.’ And a little fist pump there.

“We all root each other on. It’s great for me to think that I’ve had a part in some of this and it’s humbling, quite honestly.”

‘SHE BRINGS A DIFFERENT VOICE’

But for the history her hiring made, the story is still incomplete.

The evaluation will come based on what happens on the field.

The Marlins are coming off their first playoff run in 17 years. Ng is tasked with keeping that momentum going.

Her club showcased its potential during spring training. The offense has steady producers throughout the lineup, the starting pitching staff is its strength despite its youth and the team’s minorleague system is among baseball’s best.

And she has made a good impression on those around her in the organization.

“She brings a different voice, a different view” said Marlins manager Don Mattingly, who worked with Ng when she was an assistant GM with the Dodgers. “You want to stay diverse in thinking. Kim’s been a welcome voice as far as a divergent way of thinking. She comes with a wide view and really a great understanding of the way everything works.”

The stage, finally, is set for Kim Ng.

Jordan McPherson: 305-376-2129, @J_McPherson1126