In the midst of a breakthrough season on the ATP Tour, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday added to his list of first-time achievements for 2023 by taking out 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The 21-year-old Czech triumphed 6-4, 6-4 inside Hard Rock Stadium to reach the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. Lehecka, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at January’s Australian Open, broke Musetti’s serve once in each set for an 80-minute win.

2022: 13 wins
2023: 1️⃣4️⃣ already!@jirilehecka continues his impressive @MiamiOpen debut 6-4, 6-4 over No.18 seed Musetti #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/GxP7KSGAH3

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 25, 2023

In a meeting of 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals competitors, it was Lehecka who looked the more comfortable with the fast court conditions in Miami. He fired 25 winners and showcased some fine net skills to go with his rasping groundstrokes — Lehecka claimed 76 per cent (29/38) of points in which he moved forward.

Lehecka claimed his maiden win at Masters 1000 level against Arthur Rinderknech in Indian Wells two weeks ago before falling to Andrey Rublev. He climbed four spots to No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, just three places short of his career high, after dispatching Federico Coria and Musetti in straight sets in Miami.

Lehecka will play 14th seed Karen Khachanov or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round at the second Masters 1000 event of the year.

Qualifying player members are sharing in the ATP’s strong financial performance in 2022 through a record contribution to the ATP Player Retirement Plan. Contributions to individual player retirement accounts hit $167,900 in 2022 following a year in which the ATP saw growth in data value and revenue from the transfer of tournament licences, including those of ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Cincinnati.

A total of 165 players received a contribution into the Retirement Plan for 2022. Formally established in 1990, the plan currently makes payments to 300 players, who receive funds for 20 years, beginning at age 50.

“I remember the first year I qualified for a contribution it was $10,000,” said Australian veteran and ATP Player Advisory Council member Matthew Ebden, who has been on Tour for 17 years. “Although 2022 was unusually large due to strong revenue coming into the Tour, the annual contribution has been steadily growing over time. The returns of the fund have been good and certainly for players who have been on the tour for a few years, the plan is something in their thoughts.

“Not everyone has the career of a Roger, Rafa or Novak, and the pension plan is a key part of many players’ financial security after 50.”

Contributions to the Retirement Plan for 2022 alone topped US$27.7m, more than double the $12.7m deposited in 2019. Historically, players needed five years of vesting in the plan to be eligible for payments from age 50, In 2018 a partial vesting component was created for players with three years vesting.

Fellow Player Advisory Council member and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev echoed Ebden’s thoughts on the importance of the plan.

“The plan continues to grow each year and it will offer great support to players in retirement, especially those who may not get to play in the big finals and earn the big pay days many times. But these players are a big part of the Tour and deserve to be taken care of when their careers are over.”

The start of the plan goes back to the early years of the ATP, when influential player and administrator Jaime Fillol played a key role in the establishment of the plan in the late 1980s. With the start of the ATP Tour in 1990, the plan became one of the key programs for the player members.

Japan’s Taro Daniel continued his hot early-season form and snuffed out Alexander Zverev’s recent revival when he stunned the former World No. 2 6-0, 6-4 in the second round of the Miami Open presented by Itau on Friday night.

World No. 97 Daniel, who also upset former Top 10 player Matteo Berrettini en route to the Indian Wells third round two weeks ago, improved to 8-4 on the season after going 13-19 last year.

On the comeback trail after a devastating ankle injury suffered in the Roland Garros semi-finals last year, Zverev sprayed 32 unforced errors to Daniel’s 13.

“In the first set he was struggling and I just didn’t want to let him get his rhythm back,” Daniel said. “Sometimes it’s a matter of letting them keep playing badly. It’s a little bit of a dirty fight.”

Zvervev, who has won five ATP Masters 1000 titles along with his two Nitto ATP Finals crowns, had been working his way back into form at his past two tournaments. In Indian Wells he pushed Daniil Medvedev to 7-5 in the third set in the fourth round, which followed his run to the Dubai semi-finals.

After claiming just one tournament main draw win through the first two months of the season, Daniel has won six of his past eight tour-level matches and all four qualifying matches played.

“Sometimes you don’t know why things turn around and you have success. You keep rolling and it just happens. My plan is to keep accumulating more and more of these wins more consistently.”

Should Casper Ruud be hoping to jump-start his 2023 season in Miami, scene of his first ATP Masters 1000 final last year, he’s made a solid start. On Friday night Ruud enjoyed a 6-2, 6-3 win over World No. 80 Ilya Ivashka to breeze into the third round.

The 24-year-old World No. 4, who is just 5-5 on the season, will now look to claim consecutive wins for the first time this year when he next meets 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp, of The Netherlands.

“I want to believe one match will turn it around but there are still a lot of matches to be played with a lot of good players left in the tournament,” Ruud said. “It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve played a match after taking an early loss in Indian Wells. I worked hard and came into Miami with great memories from last year.”

The nine-time ATP Tour titlist, who also reached last year’s Roland Garros, US Open and Nitto ATP Finals title matches, dropped just six points on his first serve and converted four of eight break point opportunities.

The Norwegian enjoyed a clean match with 21 winners to 13 unforced errors and benefitted from Ivashka’s 23 unforced errors.

“Last year I won’t say I turned around my year here because I won Buenos Aires, but then I had an injury that kept me out for two to three weeks and then I lost early in Indian Wells,” Ruud said. “When people asked about my expectations I said I just wanted to have a good finish to the hard-court season and I made the final.

“So I’m just going to try to win some matches again, not think about what [points] I have to defend and just try to get some momentum.”

Ivashka slipped to 2-18 against Top 10 opponents and to 0-5 against Top 5 opposition.

In other results on Day 3, Seventh seed Holger Rune saved the lone break point he faced in a 6-3, 7-5 win over gritty Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. Bulgaria’s 21st seed Grigor Dimitrov rallied from a set down to defeat German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Austin Krajicek and Nicolas Mahut’s team debut proved a memorable one on Friday evening.

The American-French duo upset 2021 champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-3, 6-7(6), 10-7 to reach the second round of the Miami Open presented by Itau. They rallied from a mini-break down in the Match Tie-break and took advantage of a costly Pavic double fault.

Krajicek and Mahut will next play Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez, who eliminated Jaume Munar and Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2, 7-6(3). They are competing together this week because Krajicek’s usual partner, Ivan Dodig, is out with an injury.

At January’s Australian Open, Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski won just four games in quarter-final defeat against eventual champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler.

On Friday in Miami, the joint-No. 1s in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings had their revenge. Koolhof and Skpuski raced to a 6-1, 6-2 victory against their Australian rivals to reach the second round.

The top seeds converted six of nine break points in a dominant 64-minute display to kick-start their bid for a fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown. Koolhof and Skupski opened an ultimately unassailable 4-0 leads in both sets of their win, bouncing back from the disappointment of their tchampionship-match defeat in Indian Wells six days ago.

Koolhof and Skupski also suffered championship match disappointment in Miami a year ago, when they fell to Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner. The Dutch-British pair will continue its bid to banish those memories at Hard Rock Stadium this year with a second-round clash against Mackenzie McDonald and Botic van de Zandschulp or Marcelo Demoliner and Christopher Eubanks.

All-Dutch pairing Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop also cruised into the second round on Friday. The five-time tour-level titlists dispatched Sebastian Baez and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-3 to claim their first Miami win as a team at the second attempt.

The seeded stars in the bottom half of the Miami Open presented by Itau draw begin their campaigns on Saturday, when Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be in action.

The second seed Tsitsipas takes on Frenchman Richard Gasquet, while fourth seed Medvedev will look to build on his run to the final in Indian Wells against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena. Fifth seed Auger-Aliassime takes on Thiago Monteiro.

Hubert Hurkacz, Cameron Norrie and Ben Shelton will also take to court in Miami. ATPTour.com runs through some of the key second-round matchups on show.

View Draw | View Schedule

[2] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)

After soaring to the Australian Open final in January, Tsitsipas has slowed in recent weeks. The Greek fell in the second round in Rotterdam and then was unable to compete in Acapulco due to a shoulder injury. He continued to feel the effects of the issue in Indian Wells, where he suffered an opening-round exit.

The second seed will be hoping his troubles are behind him as he aims to bounce back in Miami, starting against Gasquet.

“My health is the most important thing that I could have in tennis,” said Tsitsipas, who reached the quarter-finals in Miami in 2021. “”When I’m feeling healthy, everything falls into place nicely. I’m enjoying myself on the court, I’m getting creative, I can mix up my game and I feel like nothing can go wrong. This is what my aim is for this tournament, to just play pain-free and see how my arm responds on these next few days.”

Chasing his first title of the season and third ATP Masters 1000 crown, Tsitsipas will hope to make a fast start against Gasquet, with the pair locked at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series. The 36-year-old Frenchman defeated Christopher O’Connell in the first round to earn his 596th tour-level win. Closing in on 600, Gasquet will aim to upset Tsitsipas and edge closer to that standout milestone.

Bringing the heat 🔥 off both wings ‼️@richardgasquet1 hitting high-level #ShotQuality scores on both forehand and backhand in his 3-set win over O’Connell

8.8 Fh #ShotQuality (7.2 Tour Avg.)
8.5 Bh #ShotQuality (7.0 Tour Avg.)

Sets up a battle of the single-handers against… pic.twitter.com/QcqL7BFZxl

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 24, 2023

[4] Daniil Medvedev vs. Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP)

Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak came to an end last week in Indian Wells, where Carlos Alcaraz defeated him in the championship match. The 27-year-old, who won titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai last month, is nonetheless delighted with where his game is at as he looks to start a fresh run against Carballes Baena.

“I managed to get back in the zone, which I didn’t really have for all of 2022, when I was less consistent,” Medvedev said when asked about his recent form. “I would have some good matches or tournaments but out of nowhere I would have one bad match. I’ve managed to avoid that the past four weeks. I have no idea how I have done it, but I am really happy and want to continue.”

During the title match in Indian Wells, Alcaraz used the drop shot to exploit Medvedev’s deep-court position. Carballes Baena trails Medvedev 0-1 in their ATP Head2Head series and may look to follow Alcaraz’s playbook and apply the same tactic in Miami to upset the fourth seed’s rhythm. Medvedev, who has reached consecutive quarter-finals in Miami, will hope his consistency and depth will prove too much for Carballes Baena, who is 4-7 on the season.

[5] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs. Thiago Monteiro (BRA)

Auger-Aliassime arrives in Miami at a career-high No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after advancing to the quarter-finals in Indian Wells last week. The Canadian, who lost to Alcaraz in California, will be eager for more, however, as he aims to hit the heights of 2022.

The fifth seed won four tour-level titles last year, but has yet to reach a final at any of the six events he has played this season. The 22-year-old will be hoping to change that record in Miami, where he holds fond memories.

Auger-Alassime soared to the semi-finals on debut in 2019, advancing from qualifying to announce himself on Tour. Starting his tournament at the second-round stage this week, he will look to hit through Monteiro with his destructive forehand and improve to 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. The Brazilian Monteiro defeated Jason Kubler in the first round and is currently No. 80 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Also In Action…

Eighth seed Hurkacz captured the biggest title of his career two years ago when he defeated Jannik Sinner to triumph in Miami. The Pole, who also reached the semi-finals at the hard-court event last year, starts his title quest against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.

#NextGenATP American Ben Shelton is the 32nd seed in Miami. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season and will aim to build on his strong start against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

The 11th seed Cameron Norrie meets Frenchman Gregoire Barrere, while 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Jiri Lehecka plays 18th-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

Returning as defending champion at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time, Carlos Alcaraz picked up where he left off at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Friday.

The Spaniard raced to a 6-0, 6-2 win against Facundo Bagnis in just 65 minutes in Florida. Alcaraz, who needs to lift the trophy in Miami to prevent Novak Djokovic from replacing him as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, cruised to victory against an opponent who was chasing his maiden Top 10 victory and who never really settled into the second-round clash on Hard Rock Stadium.

“I knew that I needed to be focused for my first match,” said Alcaraz after his win. “To start a new tournament is never easy, [and in] different conditions. I have to be ready to get used to these new conditions, but I was really focused on the match from the beginning, and I’m happy with the way that I played. I try to improve every day.”

Delicious 😋™️

Defending champion @carlosalcaraz getting low@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/NpRZf7vmIY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 24, 2023

Now a three-time Masters 1000 winner after he lifted the BNP Paribas Open trophy in Indian Wells last Sunday, the 19-year-old Alcaraz will become the youngest man to win the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ with another title run in Miami. Standing in his way next in Florida will be 30th seed Maxime Cressy or Dusan Lajovic.

Five days ago, Alcaraz delivered an imperious performance to snap Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak and lift his second title of the season in Indian Wells. The Spaniard did not need to reproduce his level from that match during his Miami opener, however. He lost just seven points in the first set as a wayward Bagnis made a nightmare start to his first Masters 1000 match for a year.

Alcaraz then quickly opened a 2-0 lead in the second set as his opponent continued to struggle against the teenager’s all-around abilities. Although Bagnis dug deep to convert his second break point of the match and level at 2-2, that was as good as it got for the Argentine. Alcaraz powered through the final four games to claim a comfortable win and extend his ATP Head2Head series lead against Bagnis to 2-0.

Alcaraz struck 12 winners and won 81 per cent (17/21) of points behind his first serve for his 15th tour-level win of the year. The Spaniard will expect a greater test in his next match against Cressy or Lajovic, but his outing against Bagnis could prove useful in helping him adapt to the different conditions in Miami compared to Indian Wells.

“The court is faster, there is more humidity,” acknowledged Alcaraz. “Let’s say it’s a little bit tougher too, to get used to the conditions in a short period of days. For me, it’s a totally different tournament.”

Have you ever seen ATP Tour star Rajeev Ram and Tony Finau, one of the best golfers in the world, in the same room?

A laughing Ram confessed he is often confused for the PGA Tour standout.

“A lot more than I can count. I play a fair bit of golf and whenever I go to a golf course, there’s a good chance that somebody will say something like, ‘Has anybody ever told you you look like Tony Finau?’” Ram said. “I have my standard response of, ‘Yeah, I do, until they actually watch me play.’”

The professional athletes have never met. Ram has attended golf events where Finau was competing, like the Ryder Cup in Wisconsin two years ago. But in those situations, the tennis player has never been confused for the golfer.

Fans of Netflix’s Full Swing might have made the connection when watching the episode that features Finau. Ram has not watched the show, but he sees Finau on television often.

“Golf is definitely on in our house more than tennis, so I watch him all the time. I love watching golf. It’s probably my favourite sport to watch to be honest, so I definitely root for Tony whenever he’s playing,” Ram said. “It’s kind of weird to be honest because sometimes you have that feeling when someone says, ‘Oh that looks like you’, and you don’t really see it. But I genuinely see it and I feel like when I watch him on TV I’m like, ‘Man that looks like it really could be me out there.’

“I think it’s cool just because he plays a sport that I love. I love watching it. I don’t know him, but he seems like a top-notch guy.”

When Ram is home, he tries to play golf daily. The American has become known in tennis for his serve, which looks identical to Pete Sampras’. But he does not think he can mimic Finau’s golf swing.

“I probably would say [my handicap is] a 12. I wish I was better. I should be better at certain things that I feel like I have a skill for in tennis, [but] I’m not very good at in golf like some touch and some feel,” Ram said. “I think my imitation skills stop in tennis. I can’t emulate anything in golf out of anyone. If I could I would pick him for sure, but I can’t do anything. I feel like I’m lucky to make contact a lot of the time in golf.”

Ram’s longtime friend and former professional tennis player Prakash Amritraj, a current commentator for Tennis Channel, has long believed the tennis player looks like Finau.

“I had to be the first guy that told him. I mean Tony Finau is his doppelganger. I texted him the minute I saw Tony Finau and I said, ‘What are you doing, you’re supposed to be at Indian Wells, but it looks like you’re playing at The Players right now,’” Amritraj said. “I mean, he wouldn’t buy it. But as soon as you point it out, I have no idea how anybody else doesn’t see only that. It’s wild.”

As funny as the Finau-Ram connection is to the tennis player, he is fully focused on the court, where he partnered Joe Salisbury past Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini on Thursday to reach the second round of the Miami Open presented by Itau.

“It’s been a little bit of a tough stretch for me. I took all of February off after Davis Cup, didn’t do anything at all except try to rehab my achilles,” Ram said. “The last couple weeks have been tough, but feel like we’re starting to sort of round back into form and play alright. Any time you get a win against those guys is pretty nice just because they’ve been around a while.”