Nick Kyrgios might be No. 102 in the ATP Rankings, but he certainly did not play like it on Friday afternoon.

The wild card crushed in-form fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-0 to reach the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau. Kyrgios will next play Italian Fabio Fognini in what should be an entertaining contest between two of the best shotmakers on Tour.

“He came out hot at the start and that’s tennis. A couple points could swing a momentum change like that and once I got that double break, I started seeing the return really well,” Kyrgios said. “I’ve been returning well the past four months and I guess when that’s happening, I’m serving the way I’m serving, I’m feeling the way I’m feeling, my shoulders open up and I just ran with it.”

It is the third Top 10 win in a two-tournament span for the Australian, who upset Casper Ruud and Jannik Sinner en route to the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals at Indian Wells. The six-time ATP Tour titlist is now 6-2 on the season, with his only two losses coming against Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal.

Rublev entered the match in great form, having won titles in Marseille and Dubai before advancing to the Indian Wells semi-finals. But Kyrgios never allowed him to gain any rhythm. The former World No. 13 was extremely aggressive on return, preventing the fifth seed from controlling points.

Kyrgios broke his opponent’s serve five times and won 56 per cent of his return points against one of the best players in the world. The only hiccup came as he served for the match. At 40/0, Kyrgios hit an underarm tweener serve that missed, and in a flash the game ended up at deuce. But the crowd favourite gathered himself to close out the match in just 52 minutes.

“I know that he’s a player who relies on a bit of rhythm, so I just tried to keep the points short and sharp, just play aggressive,” Kyrgios said. “I’m just happy with my performance, whether it’s 7-6 in the third or something like this, I’m just happy to get through.”

Kyrgios’ next opponent, Fognini, battled past Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(5) after two hours and 51 minutes.

For the first time in four years, Alexander Zverev is a winner at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The 2018 runner-up was made to work by Borna Coric at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, but Zverev produced an impressive deciding-set performance to secure a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 second-round victory.

Despite his run to the championship match in 2018, Zverev has struggled since the tournament’s 2019 move to Hard Rock Stadium. The win over Coric is his first at the new venue, and the World No. 4 will hope it is the start of another deep run at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

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The second seed was also happy to bounce back from a narrow three-set defeat to Tommy Paul in the second round in Indian Wells two weeks ago. “I needed a win,” said Zverev after the match. “I needed a three-set win as well. Obviously, when you’re up a set, you don’t want to go three sets, and yet I’m happy with how everything went.

“Borna, for me personally, is a very tough opponent. I’m happy with how things went and looking forward to the next match as well.”

Despite the loss, Coric also impressed and will take plenty of positives from what was just his third tour-level match back after 12 months out with a shoulder injury. On this evidence, the former World No. 12 will make his way back to the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings sooner rather than later.

The Zverev serve came out firing, helping the second seed hold to love three times as he dropped just three points behind his delivery on his way to the opening set. Coric immediately halted the World No. 4’s momentum in the second set, however, surging to a 3-0 lead and staying solid on serve to force a decider.

Zverev upped his level again for the third set, securing an early break that was enough as his serve continued to prove a potent weapon. According to Infosys ATP Stats, the German won 83 per cent (35/42) points behind his first delivery in the match, and he also fired 10 aces on his way to a victory that took just over two hours.

Zverev was pleased with his approach in the decider after the blow of losing the second set. “It was a very close game on my serve at 0-0,” he said. “I was down 15/30 and I played very aggressive points and I thought, ‘I lost the last few matches not going for my shots. I’m going to do that today’, and it worked out well.”

The defeat means Coric is now 0-16 against Top 5 opponents after dropping the first set. It is Zverev’s second victory over the Croatian in Miami, having beaten him in straight-sets on his way to the 2018 final, and the win levels the pair’s ATP Head2Head series at 3-3.

Zverev’s third-round assignment in Miami will be the man who pulled one of the upsets of the day: Mackenzie McDonald. The American ousted 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-4. The home favourite took advantage of all three of his break points and did not face a break point himself.

At the 2018 Australian Open, Dimitrov battled past McDonald in five gruelling sets. But under the Miami sun, the American was victorious in 72 minutes.

Zverev has won all four of his previous sets against McDonald, including a 6-2, 7-6(5) win in Montpellier earlier this year.

Cameron Norrie used all of his trademark resilience to nullify the powerful game of 20-year-old Jack Draper and triumph in a battle of British lefties at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Friday.

The 10th seed produced a typically consistent performance to secure a 7-6(5), 6-4 second-round victory, continuing the fine form that has turned his 2022 season around after starting the year with four defeats in as many matches.

Norrie took the title in Delray Beach in February and was only prevented from lifting another trophy by Rafael Nadal in Acapulco a week later, but in Miami he came up against an opponent who has also found a winning groove in 2022. Draper has won three titles on the ATP Challenger Tour since January and notched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 win against Gilles Simon in the first round in Miami, but will rue missed chances in Friday’s match against an opponent who is renowned for keeping cool at crucial moments.

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Norrie settled the quicker of the two players and surged to a 5-2 lead early, but Draper kept his focus and took advantage of an uncharacteristic lapse on serve from the 10th seed to level at 5-5. Norrie also made the early running in the tie-break, however, and this time gave nothing away as he converted his third set point to edge ahead.

The second set followed a similar pattern, Draper hitting the ball powerfully throughout to keep Norrie on his toes. The World No. 10 was still able to find a way to navigate his way through the trickier moments, most notably saving two break points to hold in the second game.

A break mid-way through the second set was enough to secure Norrie victory in a tight encounter where his more impressive service numbers were key. The three-time ATP Tour titlist won 76 per cent (31/41) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The win extends Norrie’s ATP Head2Head series lead over Draper to 2-0. The pair met at the 2021 Cinch Championships in London, where Norrie claimed victory in straight sets, but despite another defeat the No. 145-ranked Draper will feel his performance in Miami is another boost for his season as he aims to qualify for November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

Having reached the quarter-finals defending his title in Indian Wells last week, Norrie will hope his excellent form can now take him to a career-best performance in Miami. He reached the third round for the first time in 2021 before falling to Taylor Fritz in three sets. His opponent at that stage this year will be either Hugo Gaston or 2018 champion John Isner.

After Naomi Osaka defeated Angelique Kerber on Thursday to reach the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau, she cited an unlikely source as someone who helped with her serve: Nick Kyrgios.

“I have been working on my serve a lot with [coach] Wim [Fissette], because apparently before I didn’t put my two feet together, so he’s been telling me to be very balanced and put my two feet together,” Osaka said. “And I hit with Nick [Kyrgios] in LA, and I was watching his form from very close up, and he does this slide thing and then he puts his two feet together and [that] helps him explode more. I have been really focussing on that part of my technique.

“I think it’s working out pretty well, because I think I have a better rhythm now than I did before, especially like with the wind and stuff.”

Kyrgios on 3 March posted on Instagram a video of himself serving with Osaka sitting along the baseline to examine the Aussie’s technique.

“Analysing my serve to find any small detail,” Kyrgios wrote in his caption. “Her hunger to learn was pretty epic to see from a champ like her.”

 

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A post shared by Nick Kyrgios (@k1ngkyrg1os)

The 26-year-old, who will play Andrey Rublev on Friday on Miami, hit 12 aces and did not face a break point in his first-round victory against Adrian Mannarino. If the Australian upsets Rublev, he will likely have a big serving day.

“I feel confident. If I’m serving well and I’m playing well from my backhand, I can beat anyone,” Kyrgios said. “And everyone knows that.”

Former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo announced on Thursday that he plans to retire from professional tennis after the upcoming Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, the ATP 500 event taking place from 16 to 24 April, bringing an end to a 23-year career.

The player from Hostalric in Catalonia, Spain, who turns 40 in May, will leave behind him one of the best careers in his nation’s recent tennis history. Holder of 12 ATP Tour titles, a seven-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist and member of the winning Davis Cup teams of 2004, 2008 and 2009, he will not be easily forgotten on the ATP Tour.

“I’ve known I was going to retire for a while, but the pandemic put everything back,” Robredo explained in conversation with Spanish news agency EFE. The Spaniard, who currently sits at No. 343 in the ATP Rankings, was joined at the announcement of his retirement by his good friend David Ferrer, director of the Barcelona tournament. “I wanted both my friends and family to be there on the day of my retirement.”

The Catalan will be bidding to bring his career to a magical end at a venue that has been special to him throughout. Robredo won in Barcelona in 2004 and reached the final in 2006, and is looking forward to one last meeting with the fans that turn out to say goodbye to one of the Tour’s most-respected players. “It will be spectacular to see my friends at [the Barcelona tournament],” said Robredo, who spent over 100 weeks in the Top 10 from 2006 to 2007. “You recognise their voices and it’ll be a magical feeling.”

After more than two decades competing professionally, the time to start a new chapter has arrived for Robredo. He welcomed his first child in March 2021 and has an exciting future to look forward to.

“Now it will be time to dedicate myself to my family, especially my daughter,” said Robredo. “Until now I’ve never had anything more fulfilling than tennis, but now I’ve found it. I want to be at home with my family and my daughter. Now I know that I don’t want to miss the first time she walks or says ‘papa’.

“I’m an old school warrior,” added the Spaniard, who played in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, as the Nitto ATP Finals was then known. “I’ve really looked after myself and I’ve stayed relatively free from injuries. I’ve been able to keep playing because I love tennis and I don’t struggle to get up in the mornings to go and train. Until the day we had to isolate, I gave it 100%.

With almost 900 matches under his belt and a well-known determination to succeed, Robredo will walk away having maintained his work ethic until his final day on Tour. The Spaniard has only played two official matches in 2022 after several seasons competing on the ATP Challenger Tour but is still putting in the hard work for an emotional goodbye in Barcelona. “I want to be competitive on the day of my retirement,” he said.

“I have no plans afterwards, but another phase will come, and it will certainly involve tennis,” added Robredo. “I will do something that excites me, and I can dedicate myself to with the same passion I have put into tennis.

“It’s not hard or difficult for me. I’m doing it because I want to and it’s time. I’ve been doing this for many years, since I was a little boy. I’ve given my all.”

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared on ATPTour.com/es

Italian Matteo Berrettini withdrew from the Miami Open presented by Itau on Thursday evening due to a right hand injury. The fourth seed will be replaced by a lucky loser, who will play Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who eliminated Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 7-5 in the first round.

Berrettini is 9-6 on the season, with his most recent appearance coming at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where he lost against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the fourth round after defeating Holger Rune and Lloyd Harris.

The Italian’s best result of the season came at the Australian Open, where he eliminated reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion Carlos Alcaraz and ousted two former Top 10 players — Pablo Carreno Busta and Gael Monfils — en route to the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old is a two-time Nitto ATP Finals competitor who has won five ATP Tour titles. However, he will have to wait to pursue his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy.

It has been more than nine months since we last saw Dominic Thiem on court. The Austrian star suffered a right wrist injury during the grass-court swing last year and has been fighting to return to action ever since.

That long wait is finally over. On Thursday, the Austrian announced that he will take a wild card into the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open, an ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella, Spain. The Challenger 125-level tournament will start on Monday.

“I want to start getting contact with the competition after all these months and I believe this is the right way to start,” said Thiem on Instagram. “It’s been a very, very tough period for me and to go back to competition is what I have been waiting for so long and as you know I had a lot of setbacks. I know this will be a slow process of getting back to the top level, but I am ready to work hard and start humble.”

Thiem joins fellow former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka as main draw wild cards. The tournament revealed Wawrinka’s participation on Monday. It marks the first time that two former Top 3 players will compete at the same Challenger event.

Thiem was last seen at the Mallorca Championships in June, when he retired from his first-round match against Adrian Mannarino with the wrist injury. Wawrinka, meanwhile, suffered a foot injury in March 2021 and has not played since the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that I will be playing this upcoming week a tournament in Marbella, Spain. I want to start getting contact with the competition after all these months and I believe this is the right way to start.

Full statement:https://t.co/RADV7mgBFU pic.twitter.com/1Tapwgpi69

— Dominic Thiem (@domithiem) March 24, 2022

The World No. 1 of five years ago will take on the World No. 1 of five days ago when Andy Murray meets Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Briton set up the marquee matchup with a 7-6(4), 6-1 win over Federico Delbonis Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium. In what he described as slow and bouncy conditions, Murray lifted his game after taking the tie-break, racing to the finish after an instant break in the second.

“It was difficult for me, especially in the first set,” Murray said post-match. “It was a really tight first set, but I did well in the end.”

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There was nothing to choose between the two men in an opening stanza that did not feature a break point, nor a single deuce game.

That trend continued in the tie-break, as the first nine points went on serve to leave Murray leading, 5/4. The Briton then won a long rally when Delbonis found the net, and won the set on the Argentine’s fourth double fault.

“Both of us served very well in the first set,” Murray added. “I just managed to catch a really good return there at 5/4 in the tie-break, a really deep return and managed to get that point. He double faulted on the set point and that was the key to the match right there.”

With the lead in hand, Murray stepped up his aggression on the return in set two and was rewarded with an instant break. He then escaped 0/30 to consolidate, winning points from the net and the baseline as he began to take control of the match.

Murray’s domination in the second was summed up in the final two points of the match, as he earned the victory with his third break of the stanza. A cat-and-mouse exchange ended with Murray floating a lob winner off a stabbed volley to bring up match point. He took the direct route on match point, firing a forehand return winner down the line.

Career win No.701…

2x Miami champion @andy_murray defeats Delbonis 7-6(4) 6-1 to set up a second-round meeting with Medvedev!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/29hFnnkP9x

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 25, 2022

The two-time Miami champ levels their ATP Head2Head at 1-1 after a 2016 loss in Indian Wells which was decided in a third-set tie-break.

Murray will seek to level at 1-1 against Medvedev in the second round. The World No. 2 defeated Murray in 2019 in Brisbane in straight sets.

“Obviously a tough match,” Murray previewed. “He’s played extremely well on the hard courts the last few seasons. He deserves to be right up there at the top of the game.

“It’ll be a big challenge for me, it’ll be a great test. I’ve got a big training block after this tournament, and it’ll be a really good test for where my game’s at and things I need to work on as well against him. So I’m looking forward to that.”

Also in late Thursday action, Tommy Paul defeated Benjamin Bonzi, 6-4, 6-4 on Grandstand, setting up a second-round meeting with 23rd seed Karen Khachanov. Miomir Kecmanovic closed out play on Court Butch Buchholz with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win over American qualifier Jack Sock, advancing to face seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

France’s Arthur Rinderknech was a late winner on Court 5, knocking off Laslo Djere, 6-2, 7-6(6). He’ll face eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz next, with the first round now complete.