Top seed Alexander Zverev was dispatched in the Last 16 at the Miami Open presented by Itaú by Arthur Fils in a match held over until Wednesday due to rain delaying Thursday’s schedule. Grigor Dimitrov outlasted Francisco Cerundolo in the first quarter-final, while Novak Djokovic’s Last 8 encounter with Sebastian Korda was postponed overnight due to the lateness of the hour.
In the third set, I thought it was over, at 1-3 and with him serving great. I just said, “Okay, don’t get mad. Just try to play as much as you can and try to fight, and if you get a break, it’s nice.” It happened, so what can I say? Arthur Fils
After losing the first set, Fils, the No 17 seed from France, won the next two to upset the German World No 2, the highest seed to fall at the ATP Masters 1000.
Fils, who beat American Frances Tiafoe in his previous match in a marathon 3-setter, advanced with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 upset win to face 19-year-old Jakub Mensik from Czechia on Thursday, who advanced via a walk-over.
With Emma Raducanu’s quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula finishing close to 11.30pm, the men’s quarter-final between Djokovic and Korda was pushed to Thursday under ATP rules aimed at avoiding matches dragging on into the early hours of the morning.
The winner of that match will face 14th-seeded Dimitrov from Bulgaria, who barely survived the oppressive humidity to outlast Argentine No 23 seed Francisco Cerundolo, 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3), in a near 3-hour quarter-final.
20-year-old Fils, who made the Last 8 of a Masters 1000 tournament for the 2nd successive occasion after doing so at Indian Wells earlier this month, broke Zverev at 3-3 in the 3rd set, keeping the German moving.
On match point, the Frenchman pounded a ball down the left sideline that the top seed could not retrieve.
Fils received treatment on his back after the first set but rallied to win the next two, winning after 2 hours.
“I was feeling not great in the rallies,” Fils admitted. “I’ve had a little problem in my back since I was young, so sometimes it hurts me a little bit.
“I had to find a rhythm, more aggressive, and come into the court to play my game, and not let him play. Because when you let him play, he is one of the best tennis players in the world. I’m really happy about the way I did it.”
Even after his free-hitting exploits had helped him clinch the second set, Fils soon found himself a break down at 1-3 in the decider.
He reeled off 4 straight games from there, though, taking control of the match before serving out for a win in which he struck 25 winners to Zverev’s 13.
Fils, who also defeated Zverev to lift an ATP 500 title in the German’s hometown of Hamburg last July, converted 3 of the 5 break points he earned inside Hard Rock Stadium.
“In the third set, I thought it was over, at 1-3 and with him serving great,” said Fils. “I just said, ‘Okay, don’t get mad. Just try to play as much as you can and try to fight, and if you get a break, it’s nice.’ It happened, so what can I say?”
Fils is only the 3rd Frenchman to reach the Last 8 at both ‘Sunshine Double’ events in the same year after Yannick Noah and Gael Monfils.
He will take on fellow 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF competitor Mensik in the quarter-finals.
Regardless of how that match goes, Fils is set to rise above his career high of No 18 in the rankings after Miami and is currently up 3 spots to No 15 in the live rankings.
Down but not out, Grigor Dimitrov overcame humidity and exhaustion to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in just under 3 hours of play at the Miami Open on Wednesday.
© Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Dimitrov was led off the court by a tournament doctor and ATP physio after sitting in his chair for over 25 minutes, saying he was feeling “dizzy” after his match.
The Bulgarian, a Miami Open finalist in 2024, saved a match point in the 3rd set when trailing 5-6 before forcing a tiebreak.
He squandered 7 set points in the opening set but lost the breaker, before claiming a gritty 150th match win at ATP Masters 1000 level to advance to the semi-finals.
Dimitrov survived Cerundolo in a match in which he was gasping for air at times in the latter stages, winning 6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(3) after 2 hours and 48 minutes.
Cerundolo will rue his missed backhand return while holding match point at 6-5 in the decider.
Dimitrov had his own missed opportunities in the beginning stages, letting slip 7 set points in the opener, including his 6/4 lead in the breaker.
He squandered his 7th set point by dumping a routine backhand volley in the net, but it did not discourage the 33-year-old.
He took a more aggressive baseline position in the second set and converted all 8 of his net points.
Playing with great variety by mixing backhand slices with his trademark one-hander, Dimitrov found greater consistency off that wing and began to dictate the rallies.
Trailing 0-3 in the decider, Dimitrov mounted another comeback to improve to 12-1 in 3-set matches at the ATP Masters 1000 event in South Florida.
He won the first point of the 3rd-set tiebreak in dramatic fashion, nailing a forehand past Cerundolo before falling on the ground, almost rolling his ankle.
After showing signs of exhaustion during parts of the final set, Dimitrov sat down in relief after shaking hands with the 23rd seed, who the 9-time tour-level titlist now leads 2-0 in their head-to-head.
Dimitrov was heard saying he felt dizzy, and was assisted off the court by a tournament doctor and ATP physio.
Up next for the 14th seed will be 6-time champion Djokovic or Korda.
Having arrived in Miami with a 5-5 season record and defending his finalist showing from last year, Dimitrov’s run to the Last 4 has him at No 18 in the live rankings.
Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final against Sebastian Korda was held over until Thursday as they would not have got on the court much before midnight on Wednesday night in Miami.
© Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Meanwhile, 37-year-old Djokovic is 3 wins from a record-breaking 7th Miami trophy. Should he capture his first title at the hard-court event since winning at Crandon Park in 2016, it would also mark Djokovic’s 100th tour-level crown.
24-year-old Korda is aiming for his 3rd Masters 1000 semi-final.
Also in quarter-final action on Thursday, Fils faces Mensik in what will be their 2nd meeting, while 3rd-seeded American Taylor Fritz will test his perfect 4-0 record against Italian Matteo Berrettini under the lights at Hard Rock Stadium.
