Top seed Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur advanced to the round of 16 at the Miami Open presented by Itaú on Monday. Czech Tomas Machac maintained his momentum by beating American Reilly Opelka, 7-6(1) 6-3, to also reach the Last 16.
It was a hell of a battle. I knew coming in what to expect. Not only is he an incredibly talented, dangerous, explosive player, but he’s playing with so much confidence at the moment and the crowd behind him. I knew I was going to be up against it, and it was going to take every single ounce of me. Just put my head down and got to work, so very happy with that win. One of my biggest strengths is my mentality, and that is what got me the win today. Alex de Minaur
Zverev set a new ATP Masters 1000 record, shaking off a sluggish start to remain on track for the title in Miami, and sealing his 81st Masters 1000 win since the start of 2020, breaking his tie with Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas for the most recorded by any player in that period.
The German World No 2 produced a clinical response to his error-strewn start to prevail 7-5 6-4 against Australia’s Jordan Thompson, reaching the Last 16 in Miami for the 5th time.
Zverev rode a mid-match surge in form, winning 8 of the next 9 games from 1-4 down in the first set, improving to 3-2 in his head-to-head with Thompson.
“Jordan made it difficult for me, for sure,” said Zverev, now 19-9 in Miami. “He’s a quality player. When you’re in rhythm, he knows how to break [it] a little bit. So he did extremely well today. I’m happy with my level from 1-4 onwards, losing just one game out of [the next] nine.”
Ranked 37, Thompson reeled off the first 3 games to spark hopes of an upset at the Hard Rock Stadium, but once Zverev found his range, there was no way past.
The World No 2 executed a sublime drop-volley in the 11th game before breaking, letting out a mighty roar.
While Zverev’s first serve was typically sound, winning 76% of points behind it, his second delivery proved key, with the 23-time tour-level titlist dropping just 3 of the 13 second-serve points for a winning 77%.
Arthur Fils overcame cramp and Frances Tiafoe after a near 3-hour battle in Miami to reach the Last 16 and a contest with Alexander Zverev.
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Zverev continues his campaign against Arthur Fils, after the Frenchman overcame cramping in the deciding set to defeat America’s Frances Tiafoe, the 16th seed, 7-6(11) 5-7 6-2, in a thrilling 3rd-round clash.
The 20-year-old won the final 5 games after letting slip 2 match points in the second set, rallying from a break down at 1-2 in the decider by changing tactics to hit winners as soon as possible.
“It was very tough,” Fils said later. “When I got into the third set, I was cramping, and I couldn’t find the rhythm anymore.
“My serve was tough, and I couldn’t jump, so I tried to relax, and play as fast as I could, and hit as strong as I could. Somehow it worked.”
In a match that ebbed and flowed throughout, Fils saved 6 set points in the first set before claiming it 13/11 in the joint-longest tiebreak of the 2025 season so far.
He then missed his first 2 match points at 5-4 in the second set, before Tiafoe reeled off a 3-game streak to send them into a decider.
Tiafoe, the home favourite, was aiming to secure back-to-back tour-level wins for the first time since reaching the US Open semi-finals last September, and appeared to have taken control of the third set with a break in the 3rd game.
Then came Fils’ late barrage, notching 3 consecutive breaks of serve with a series of searing blows off both wings.
He converted 4 of 14 break points earned in the 2 hour, 55 minute encounter.
3rd-seeded Taylor Fritz advanced to the Last 16 with a straight sets win over Denis Shapovalov in Miami.
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Third-seeded Taylor Fritz avenged his recent Dallas loss to Denis Shapovalov by prevailing 7-5 6-3 to seal his 4th-round spot in Miami.
The American No 1 let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set but regained control with some imperious serving to motor past the Canadian in an 86-minute win.
“If we went through that match 10 times, I feel like I would win it more times than I would lose it,” Fritz said of their recent meeting in Dallas. “In that match, he served really well.
“Today, I probably returned a little bit better, but I got more help from him as well. He threw in some double faults, and overall I played well.”
A 10-minute delay to assist a court side fan in need of medical assistance appeared to shift the momentum with Shapovalov serving at 2-5.
The Canadian No 2 conjured some inspired shot-making to level at 5-5, but his hard work unravelled in a shaky 12th game, when he surrendered his serve to love with back-to-back double faults before Fritz hit a left-handed forehand to clinch his only set point.
The American continued to pile on the pressure to Shapovalov, who won just 62% of his first-serve points, while Fritz was ruthless on serve throughout the second set, during which he did not drop a point behind his 17 first deliveries, improving to 5-6 in his head-to-head with the Canadian.
Fritz will next face Australia’s Adam Walton, who overcame Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong, a wild-card, 7-6(6) 4-6 6-4, to become the 4th lucky loser to reach the Last 16 in the tournament’s history.
Alex de Minaur overcame 18-year-old Joao Fonseca and a partisan Brazilian crowd in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Monday night.
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Australia’s Alex de Minaur ended Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca’s challenge, outlasting the 18-year-old, 5-7 7-5 6-3, in an enthralling night contest.
Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout Monday, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and football-style chanting.
Fonseca brought an energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but de Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with both the blistering forehands and the partisan crowd.
Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet, but de Minaur won 6 of the final 7 games to move into the 4th round, keeping his cool even when the crowd, at times, disrupted his serve preparation.
The 10th seed dropped his serve in the opening game of the decider but fought back by engaging in lengthy baseline rallies, testing Fonseca’s endurance.
The 26-year-old kept his cool to hold off the Brazilian and secure his place in the 4th round, equalling his best Miami result.
“It was a hell of a battle,” he said. “I knew coming in what to expect. Not only is he an incredibly talented, dangerous, explosive player, but he’s playing with so much confidence at the moment and the crowd behind him.
“I knew I was going to be up against it, and it was going to take every single ounce of me. Just put my head down and got to work, so very happy with that win.
“One of my biggest strengths is my mentality, and that is what got me the win today.”
Matteo Berrettini will take on Alex de Minaur in the Last 16 after defeating Zizou Bergs at the Miami Open.
© Harry How/Getty Images
Back inside the Top 10 of the live rankings at No 7, displacing Daniil Medvedev, de Minaur will next face 29th seed Matteo Berrettini, who ousted Belgian Zizou Bergs, 6-4 6-4.
Berrettini, who is into the round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2023 Monte-Carlo and first on hard courts since 2022 Indian Wells, leads de Minaur 2-1 in their head-to-head.
Czech Tomas Machac maintained his momentum by beating American Reilly Opelka, 7-6(1) 6-3, to also reach the Last 16.
The No 20 seed was out-aced 18-9 by Opelka, but took the only break point of the match in the second set and finished off with an ace as he set up a clash with fellow Czech, Jakub Mensik, who dispatched Russian Roman Safiullin, 6-4 6-4.
