MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — On Friday, after defeating world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in a Miami Open quarterfinal, 12th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria noted in awe that he was “12 years older’’ than Alcaraz, who said after the match that he felt like a frustrated, helpless 13-year-old who couldn’t solve Dimitrov’s game.

“He’s amazing,’’ Dimitrov, 32, said. “It’s honestly a lot of fun for me to challenge myself.”

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Dimitrov will face another incredibly gifted, young tennis player in the Miami Open final at Hard Rock Stadium. This time, he’s 10 years older than his opponent, world No. 3 Jannik Sinner, 22, of Italy.

After he disposed of Alcaraz, Dimitrov upset fifth-ranked Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4 in the semifinal for consecutive top-five slayings to set up the championship match against Sinner, who is 21-1 in matches this season and seemingly impossible to beat. Sinner took just 1 hour 9 minutes on Friday to defeat fourth-ranked Miami Open defending champ Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-2.

This will be Dimitrov’s third Masters 1000 final and first championship match in Miami. He’s 19-4 this season with a title in Brisbane in early January. He has nine ATP Tour titles, including the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati in 2017. His highest ranking of No. 3 came in ‘17.

Top 10

When asked how difficult it is to put to one side that, win or lose, on Monday he’ll be back in the top 10 for the first time since 2018, because “the job is not finished over here,’’ Dimitrov protested.

“Definitely not,’’ said the 6-3, 179-pound Bulgarian. “For me, what’s better, above all that [is] I have been able to put those matches back-to-back. I think the consistency of beating top players, that to me is way bigger success than anything else. If you do that, you get the ranking. If you do that, things are just getting better. The discipline, the hard work, all the dedication, the adjustment to very different players throughout that time, you need to be able to do that on a consistent basis.”

The red-haired Sinner, 6-2 and 167 pounds, lost to Medvedev in last year’s Miami Open final and is 2-1 all-time against Dimitrov. He’s the youngest player to reach three Miami finals. In 2021, Sinner lost the Miami final — his first of four ATP Masters 1000 title matches — in two close sets to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

“The first time I came here and made the final, like, I couldn’t sleep the night,’’ Sinner said Friday. “I was sweating during the night. The second time, which was last year, I was relaxed...

“Now I handle the situation much, much better. I’m just excited and happy to be back. Hopefully I can play some good tennis Sunday. If I win, good. If not, it’s again a great result.’’

Australia winner

This year, Sinner has won the Australian Open (five sets against Medvedev) and Rotterdam (straight sets against Alex de Minaur) among his 12 career titles. At Miami, besides Medvedev, Sinner’s highest ranked opponent has been 26th-ranked Tallon Griekspoor.

What has Sinner learned in the past year about preparing for and playing in finals, especially big ones, that he didn’t necessarily know previously?

“Just to enjoy the moment,’’ he said, “because it’s a great day — Sundays for tennis players. If you’re still in the tournament, it means that it’s the best day, an exciting day. So I’m just trying to, you know, enjoy this moment.’’

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