Jaume Munar is like a wide-eyed child in a candy store. With every air mile he clocks up, for every new tournament he visits, the 21-year-old Spaniard is learning more about the sport.

Speaking after his first ATP Masters 1000 match win over Indian qualifier Prajnesh Gunneswaran on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Munar confessed to ATP Tennis Radio, “It means a lot, because of the work we have done over the years. The long journey we’ve been on since I was a young kid. It’s another step. I’m happy with the life I’m leading right now, on and off the court.

“I enjoy travelling too and I’m excited for the future. These courts are a bit slower than others. I used to have pre-season on hard courts in Spain and started playing tennis on hard courts, so I am comfortable. You have to play well on every surface these days.”

While Munar never competed at the Miami tournament, when it was held at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, the charismatic right-hander finds the Hard Rock Stadium to his liking.

“I never visited the venue in Key Biscayne, but I feel really comfortable here as I enjoy the big tournaments,” said Munar, who is currently at a career-high No. 61 in the ATP Rankings. “The Hard Rock Stadium is huge. You have the space, places where it is quiet. The facilities are perfect.”

Munar, who has advanced to four ATP Tour quarter-finals — Tata Open Maharashtra, Cordoba Open, Argentina Open and the Rio Open presented by Claro — so far in the 2019 season, credits much of his development down to leaving Barcelona and returning home to Mallorca to train.

“At the beginning it was difficult to go back,” said Munar. “I was 13 when I first went to Barcelona for the first time. I have many friends and coaches there, so it’s a special place. But I returned to Mallorca after seven years… It’s a special feeling when you have people from your hometown.”

The Spaniard trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy, “The Academy for me is my life. I am not living there, but I am used to working many hours – on and off the court, the gym. We try to do two sessions on the court, then a physio class, and also a fitness class. About 5-6 hours. There have been many times when I have been there at 8 a.m. and not left until 8 p.m. It’s my second home. It’s wonderful.”

Munar does not want to identify a particularly goal for the season, however, the influence of Nadal and the 17-time Grand Slam champion’s team, is evident in the progress he has made.

“I know that I will have my chances during the year. I did well on the Latin American swing, but I’d like to rise into the Top 40 this season.”

David Ferrer might be retiring in two months, but he is still a man no one wants to face on the ATP Tour.

The Spaniard, who turns 37 on 2 April, won his first ATP Masters 1000 match in 12 months on Thursday, beating American Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-2 at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Ferrer feasted on Querrey’s second serve, winning 87 per cent of those points (20/23), and pressured the former World No. 11 all match. Ferrer raced out to a 3-0 behind a break of serve, and added three more breaks in the second set to cruise to victory in just 74 minutes.

The 27-time ATP Tour titlist is playing in Miami for the 17th and final time. Ferrer has said he will retire at the Mutua Madrid Open in May.

“I enjoyed it a lot. It’s Miami, a lot of people have supported me all these years. For me, it’s a great experience to play in this new stadium,” Ferrer said. “I’m really happy because I played really good… I am doing my goal, and my goal is to be competitive.”

But he still has work to do in South Florida, where he reached the 2013 final (l. to Murray). Ferrer will next meet second seed Alexander Zverev, who beat him in the Miami second round last year.

Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic set up a #NextGenATP showdown with American Frances Tiafoe by beating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-2, 7-5. Kecmanovic had only one tour-level win before last week’s BNP Paribas Open, but the 19-year-old became the first lucky loser to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals since 1990 (l. to Raonic).

Former junior World No. 1 Chun Hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei came up short during his first Masters 1000 match. The 17-year-old, who won junior titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year, fell to Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-4, 7-5. Sousa will next play 31st seed Steve Johnson.

Qualifiers Reilly Opelka and Andrey Rublev each won their third match in a row. Opelka held off German Jan-Lennard Struff, who beat Zverev last week in Indian Wells, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 behind 25 aces. The 6’11” American will face 5’7” Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the second round.

Rublev, who reached the 2017 and 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals, secured a second-round meeting with ninth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia. The Russian knocked out Japan’s Taro Daniel 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Frenchman Jeremy Chardy will next meet countryman and 23rd seed Gilles Simon after outlasting Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(5).