Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin didn’t need to wait long to avenge their semi-final loss to last year’s World No. 1 doubles pair Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in Indian Wells. On Wednesday in Miami the duo rallied from a set down to upset the Miami top seeds 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-5 to reach their second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The Mexican-French pairing will next meet the winner of Nathaniel Lammons/Jackson Withrow and Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara, who were locked at 3/4 on serve in a match tie-break when rain halted play for the evening.

In the only other completed doubles result Wednesday, German Kevin Krawietz and Frenchman Fabrice Martin defeated American singles stars Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals. They next will play American Austin Krajicek and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

Carlos Alcaraz’s hunt for the ‘Sunshine Double’ has ironically been put on hold because of rain.

The World No. 1, who must successfully defend his debut ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami this week to remain atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, had his Wednesday night quarter-final clash with Taylor Fritz postponed due to rain.

Alcaraz and Fritz will now do battle Thursday, alongside two other quarter-finals already scheduled for tomorrow: Daniil Medvedev vs. Christopher Eubanks and former Miami semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo vs. Karen Khachanov.

Alcaraz, who triumphed at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this month, has a 17-1 record in 2023.

ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2023
STADIUM start 1:00 pm
ATP – [Q] C. Eubanks (USA) vs [4] D. Medvedev 

Not Before 3:00 PM
WTA – [18] E. Alexandrova vs [15] P. Kvitova (CZE)

Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – [1] C. Alcaraz (ESP) vs [9] T. Fritz (USA) 

Not Before 8:30 pm
WTA – [10] E. Rybakina (KAZ) vs [3] J. Pegula (USA)

GRANDSTAND start 2:30 pm
Quarterfinals – ATP – N. Lammons (USA) / J. Withrow (USA) vs [5] L. Glasspool (GBR) / H. Heliovaara (FIN) 76(3) 36 3-4

Not Before 3:00 pm
Quarterfinals – ATP – [25] F. Cerundolo (ARG) vs [14] K. Khachanov 

Not Before 5:00 pm
Semifinals – ATP – S. Gonzalez (MEX) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs N. Lammons (USA) / J. Withrow (USA) or [5] L. Glasspool (GBR) / H. Heliovaara (FIN) 
Semifinals – ATP – A. Krajicek (USA) / N. Mahut (FRA) vs K. Krawietz (GER) / F. Martin (FRA) 

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.