Not even a two-hour rain delay could stop Jannik Sinner from maintaining a pair of perfect records on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Italian prevailed 6-3, 6-1in a weather-disrupted quarter-final inside Hard Rock Stadium and he has now won all eight sets he has played at this year’s edition of the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event in Florida. The 10th seed was victorious in one hour and 15 minutes and improved his ATP Head2Head record against Ruusuvuori to 5-0.

“We both played well today but I won the important points,” Sinner said. “It’s never easy when you are up and you get interrupted, but I came back and played well.”

Most Match Wins In 2023

* Playing Wednesday night in Miami

Although Sinner did not quite hit the heights of his sublime fourth-round performance against Andrey Rublev, the Italian stayed solid in all facets of his game and raised his level when needed to nullify Ruusuvuori’s power. After fending off the first break point of the match to hold in the fourth game, Sinner broke the Finn’s serve for 3-2 in the next. That sequence proved pivotal for the direction of the match.

The 21-year-old World No. 11, who has shown he is capable of striking winners from all corners of the court during his run on the fast-paced courts in Miami, arrowed a backhand return winner to break again in the ninth game and seal the opening set. That was the second of four games in a row for the Italian before rain forced the players off court with Sinner leading 6-3, 2-0.

After play resumed following a two-hour rain delay, Sinner quickly held to take a 3-0 lead in the second set. He never looked back, improving to 20-4 on the season. 

Sinner now holds a 12-2 record in Miami, where he reached his only previous ATP Masters 1000 championship match in 2021. He next prepares for a semi-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz or Taylor Fritz. 

Does Taylor Fritz eat Hot Pockets before practice when he is home?

“I don’t really want to answer that to be honest!” he said, cracking a laugh.

The American No. 1 answered that question and plenty more in this week’s edition of ATP Uncovered. Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, John Isner, Tommy Paul and Andrey Rublev all put their reporter’s hat on to come up with a good question for the Top 10 star.

Other questions Fritz’s colleagues posed include:

– Why do people call you ‘The Golden Key’?

– What is your hair routine, Taylor? It always looks very good on court.

– What’s the ultimate strategy to beat you?

Find out Fritz’s answers — and in some cases, non-answers — in the full video.

The 25-year-old will play World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open presented by Itau Wednesday evening.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed the host nations for the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage, while the draw for the Finals Group Stage took place in Malaga on Wednesday afternoon.

The Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy and the Pabellón Municipal Fuente de San Luis in Valencia, Spain return as host venues for the Group Stage this season after hosting successful events in 2022. Italy, Canada, Sweden and Chile will contest Group A in Bologna, while Spain, Serbia, Czech Republic and Korea, Rep. will contest Group C in Valencia.

Great Britain remains a host nation for 2023, with this year’s event taking place at the AO Arena in Manchester – the first time that the city has hosted Davis Cup action since Great Britain played Romania at the Northern Lawn Tennis Club in July 1994. Great Britain, Australia, France and Switzerland will contest Group B in Manchester.

Two-time Davis Cup champion nation Croatia completes the list of 2023 Finals Group Stage host nations, with the host city and arena to be announced in due course. Croatia, Netherlands, USA and Finland will contest Group D.

The Finals Group Stage takes place on 12-17 September 2023. Group winners and runners-up will progress to the Final 8 knockout stage at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Malaga, Spain on 21-26 November 2023. The draw for the Final 8 will take place following the Group Stage in September.

2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage draw
Group A
Host: Bologna, Italy

Canada (1)
Italy (*)
Sweden
Chile

Group B
Host: Manchester, Great Britain

Australia (2)
Great Britain (*)
France
Switzerland

Group C
Host: Valencia, Spain

Spain (3) (*)
Serbia
Czech Republic
Korea, Rep.

Group D
Host: Croatia

Croatia (4) (*)
Netherlands
USA
Finland

(#) = seeded nation; (*) host nation

The Miami Open presented by Itau quarter-finals begin Wednesday in Florida, where the Pepperstone ATP Rankings stakes are high for Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and more of the world’s biggest stars.

Alcaraz, who will play Taylor Fritz in the last eight, must win the title to retain World No. 1 next Monday. Anything less and Novak Djokovic will return to top spot.

The Spaniard returned to World No. 1 after winning the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells for the first time. The 19-year-old, who is the defending champion in Miami, is now three victories from completing the ‘Sunshine Double’.

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev also has an opportunity to climb by the end of the week. Currently No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, he can pass Casper Ruud and move to World No. 4 if he lifts the trophy.

As recently as last month, Medvedev was World No. 12. But the 27-year-old has won 21 of his past 22 matches, a stretch during which he claimed crowns in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. He will face first-time ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks for a spot in the last four.

Miami Quarter-finalists – Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings

The biggest opportunities for movement come slightly lower down the list. Fritz, Jannik Sinner and Karen Khachanov each have an opportunity to ascend to World No. 6 on Monday by winning the title.

Only 800 points separate No. 6 and No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Khachanov is currently No. 14 on the list, but the former Rolex Paris Masters titlist can cut that number by more than half by winning his second Masters 1000 trophy.

Khachanov, who upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round, will climb to World No. 11 if he defeats 2022 Miami semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo in the next round. The Argentine Cerundolo, who has enjoyed his greatest success at Hard Rock Stadium, will crack the Top 20 for the first time if he claims the crown.

Editor’s Note: This article was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

Fans of both tennis and motor racing are in their element this week in the Hard Rock Stadium.

When entering the venue for the Miami Open presented by Itau, spectators have to pass through a few sectors of the street circuit where the second Miami Grand Prix will take place on 7 May. This partly explains why Carlos Alcaraz has Formula 1 on his mind. However, the main reason is Spanish driver Fernando Alonso.

“33 –> Soon,” wrote Carlitos on the TV camera after his win over Tommy Paul on Tuesday in the last sixteen of the second Masters 1000 of the year. He explained the meaning of the message in his post-match press conference.

“I’m spurring ‘Fer’ on to see if he can get his 33rd win in Australia,” he said with a smile. “To me it’s crazy what he’s doing at his age. He’s basically in the fight for the Formula 1 World Championship. It’s great to have him there.”

Fernando Alonso claimed his 32nd win at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, when Alcaraz had just celebrated his 10th birthday and was still unacquainted with the world of Formula 1. But the Spanish driver has made the podium in the first two races of the year in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The 41-year-old’s desire for another win is burning as strong as ever.

Alcaraz is sure to be glued to the TV cheering him on. Maybe Alonso’s strong runs will inspire him to claim another ATP Tour title. Just two weeks ago, Alonso finished third at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on the same day that Alcaraz claimed the BNP Paribas Open and returned to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“You motivated me for the Indian Wells final! You’re an animal!” Alcaraz wrote on one of Alonso’s Instagram posts.

Alonso, a two-time World Champion (2005, 2006), is responsible for Alcaraz’s recent Formula 1 fever.

“I have to admit that I’ve never been particularly interested in it, but Fernando has made me into a Formula 1 fan,” Alcaraz said. “He’s made me watch races, made me support him. And what better way to support Fernando than with a message on the camera?”

What kind of driver would Alcaraz be if he was competing alongside Alonso? The answer was simple, but emphatic: “I’d be a very aggressive one!” he said smiling. It is not a surprising response from a player who has not dropped a set in his last nine matches and hit 188 winners in Indian Wells.

Alcaraz is currently in the midst of his own race in the United States. While Alonso chases his 33rd win, the 19-year-old is bidding for the ‘Sunshine Double’ (winning in Indian Wells and Miami in the same season). He would be the youngest player to achieve the feat, and the first since Roger Federer in 2017.

“I try not to think about that, but it’s difficult. It’s something I really want. I want to be one of those few players who have won the ‘Sunshine Double’. So, for me, it would be great to achieve it,” explained the eight-time tour titlist, who will face American Taylor Fritz for the first time on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals.

Alcaraz is three wins away from being the eighth player on the ATP Tour to win Indian Wells and Miami in the same year since the beginnings of the Masters 1000 category in 1990. He would join Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014-16), Federer (2005-06, 2017), Andre Agassi (2001), Marcelo Ríos (1998), Pete Sampras (1994), Michael Chang (1992) and Jim Courier (1991).

If the Murcia native can win Miami, it could be him that inspires Alonso to victory when the Spanish driver is racing in the same city in a few weeks.

The in-form Daniil Medvedev produced a superb serving performance in the early hours of Wednesday morning to see off Quentin Halys and reach the quarter-finals of the 2023 Miami Open presented by Itau.

In a match delayed until after midnight due to rain in South Florida, the fourth seed won 82 per cent (32/39) of points behind his first serve and did not face a break point in his 70-minute victory against the World No. 79. Now into his third consecutive quarter-final in Miami, the 27-year-old will hope to carry his recent red-hot form into his last-eight clash against home favourite Christopher Eubanks.

“I thought it was going to be cancelled,” said Medvedev after producing a clinical performance against Halys after the long rain delay. “I’m pretty happy that I managed to play not so bad, becauset was not easy. I think that’s why Quentin was also missing a lot, because when you play at midnight… You usually sleep at midnight. So trying to play some tennis then [was tough].”

Locked in 🔒@DaniilMedwed overpowers Quentin Halys to secure the victory 6-4 6-2 🙌@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/poWOHDeypx

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 29, 2023

Medvedev converted the only break point of the first set in the fifth game to move ahead in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with Halys, and took further command of the encounter by breaking the Frenchman’s serve again the opening game of the second set. With Medvedev dialled in on serve, the fourth seed ultimately ran out a comfortable winner to improve his record for the 2023 season to 26-3.

That tally includes back-to-back title runs in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. In Miami, the four-time ATP Masters 1000 champion is chasing his first title at this level since his 2021 victory in Toronto.

If Monday evening marked Christopher Eubanks’ breakthrough, Tuesday evening took it to the next level.

“Ain’t no crying,” Eubanks said as he walked into the media mixed zone inside Hard Rock Stadium with a big smile on his face.

The American had just battled past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in a rain-delayed two hours and 11 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the Miami Open presented by Itau.

“It feels good, it feels good. Just like yesterday felt good, this feels great,” Eubanks said. “Just something about all of the delays and the stopping, the starting, the warming up and cooling down and warming up, it makes a match like this even sweeter and to think it was for my first Masters 1000 quarter-final is really, really special. It feels great, it feels good right now.”

After clawing past Gregoire Barrere in the third round, Eubanks was overcome by a flood of emotions. Not only had he rallied from 2/6 down in the second-set tie-break, but the match put him in position to crack the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.

“I think last night was just so many different emotions just because of being down in the breaker, my mind kind of already floated to the idea of a third set, so to be able to come back and win it, it was a lot,” Eubanks said. “It was a lot, saving five set points and to be able to come back, it was more just kind of shock that I’d actually won the match and then to find out afterwards that match put me in the Top 100, that’s when the emotion came out.”

After the emotional night, Eubanks regrouped to oust veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, one of the trickiest players on the ATP Tour. He is up to No. 85 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

“Today feels a little bit more like, ‘Hey, I’m here. Trust it,’” Eubanks said. “I’m playing well and let’s just see how long we can keep this thing going.”

Eubanks has received an outpouring of support from colleagues in the tennis world as well as plenty of people outside of it. Jamie Foxx congratulated him on social media Monday evening and NFL legend Chad Johnson was in the stands on Tuesday to support him.

Dear followers please congratulate my guy @chris_eubanks96 on yet another win tonight at the Miami Open, also inform him on the importance of post game McDonald’s to help recovery 🎾

— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) March 29, 2023

“It’s amazing man. It’s really, really cool. I’ve known Foxx for two, three years now and he’s become a really, really close friend, someone I can call if I just want to kind of talk through life a little bit,” Eubanks said. “Chad and I actually connected for the first time two or three weeks ago. He posted a video playing tennis and I think we had DM’d in the past and when he posted the video I commented saying, ‘Hey man that looks pretty good.’ He commented back saying, ‘I would love to get on the court with you,’ so I immediately shot him a DM I said, ‘Hey I’m going to be down in Miami for the Miami Open if you want to come out I can see about getting you a credential.’

“We were able to do that and he’s such an avid sports fan. He loves following tennis. He was super excited to be able to meet Carlitos today, he got to meet Tommy the other day. So he’s an all-around sports junkie. It was really cool for him to be able to come out. He stuck through one or two rain delays… It’s been really cool to see the outpouring of support. DJ D-Nice is another person who reached out and I got to meet. It’s been really, really cool.”

Eubanks’ run is not over yet. The 26-year-old will play red-hot Daniil Medvedev for a spot in the semi-finals.