World number three Jannik Sinner survived a scare from Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor as he advanced to the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 victory on Sunday.
The Italian, second seed and two-time finalist in Miami, struggled against Griekspoor’s power play in the first set, but turned things around after a rain break at 3-3 in the second set.
Sinner battled back and took second before completely dominating third to book his place in the last 16.
“I think even the first set was very close, but he got away,” Sinner said.
“I think mentally I tried to stay strong, which I did, and I was in a tough situation today. After the rain came, I tried to come back a little more aggressive, which I did, and obviously I’m really happy. It was a difficult day for me, but I am very happy with the result.
Sinner will face Australian Christopher O’Connell, a close winner over American Martin Damm 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5).
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-1 and while he was pleased with his performance, he said the rapid deterioration of the balls created unusual games.
“It’s a bit strange. The pitch is quite fast but the balls age very quickly. So at one point in the rally, we feel like we can’t do much. So you can’t go for the winner because the risk-reward isn’t there. It’s the same for the opponent, so we hit, hit,” he told reporters.
There was an atmosphere akin to a South American World Cup soccer match for the clash between 22nd-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry and Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild.
After upsetting American Taylor Fritz on Saturday, Seyboth Wild was hoping for another scalp and he pushed the more experienced Jarry hard in front of a packed mostly South American crowd on court three.
Jarry’s endurance proved decisive as he won 6-7 (1/7), 7-5, 6-3.
Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan beat world number seven Holger Rune with a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the second round.
The convincing victory, in just 59 minutes, was a third victory against a top 10 opponent in a Masters event for the 57th-ranked 24-year-old.
Marozsan dominated his Danish opponent from the start, scoring 23 winners and saving all three break points he faced.
The Hungarian’s two previous victories against top 10 opponents at this level came when he beat Carlos Alcaraz in Rome and Casper Ruud in Shanghai last year.
“I love playing at the highest level. I had a great day and enjoyed every moment on center court against a very talented player,” Marozsan said.
“I tried to put more pressure on him and I played very high intensity tennis and maybe he didn’t find a way to come back or do something different.”
Marozsan will face Alexei Popyrin in the third round after the Australian beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4.
Shelton fights
After three of the four top-ranked Americans exited the tournament Saturday, Ben Shelton kept the star-spangled flag alive in Florida with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spanish teenager Martin Landaluce.
Shelton didn’t face a break point in the competition and won both sets with unstoppable aces in the middle.
“I thought I was pretty complete today,” Shelton said. “I think I’ve done a great job supporting my serve and usually when I have a lot of confidence and hold easily, the rest of my game continues to flow and my confidence only grows.
“I think it helps me a lot and puts a lot of pressure on the other guy.”
In the third round, Shelton will face 23rd-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who beat Russian Roman Safiullin 7-5, 6-1.
Murray bids emotional farewell
Andy Murray left the Miami Open for the final time and in characteristic style, he did so with a performance full of courage and skill but also a lot of passion.
The emotion of the match itself, a missed opportunity to secure a third straight tournament victory for the first time in over a year, was heightened by the fact that Murray knew this week was his last appearance in a city he calls his “home of tennis”.
The two-time Miami winner, who turns 37 in May, lost in a thrilling third-set tiebreak to Czech Tomas Machac, managing to fight back after receiving treatment for an ankle injury.
The Scot saved a match point in the third before forcing a tie-break, which he led 5-3 before Machac delivered fatal blows to win 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).
It was three hours and 28 minutes of thrilling tennis, arguably the most entertaining of the tournament so far, although strangely on the third tier, the Butch Buchholz court.
“Obviously a disappointing finish for me, but brilliant crowd, great atmosphere, very close game,” Murray said.
“I was obviously a few points away from finishing and to be fair to him, he hit some big shots, played some high-risk tennis and it paid off for him today,” the Briton said.
Murray’s injury late in the third set saw him leave the court in agony with what at first appeared to be a possible Achilles tendon injury, but later turned out to simply be a very painful sprained ankle.
But after undergoing major hip surgery to prolong his career, Murray was able to appreciate the value of his performance and previous round victories against Italian Matteo Berrettini and Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
“It’s been pretty positive, there were some good signs in my game, definitely an improvement from the last few tournaments, not perfect but considering it’s all about winning matches against the players I did and pushing Thomas as I did today, I am proud of myself because it is extremely difficult to do what I do with the problem I have.
“To still be able to compete with these guys is a credit to me and the work I’ve put in and the effort I’ve put in to keep myself in this position,” he said.
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Even after the hardest losses, @Andy Murray still makes moments for all his fans 🤝
Thanks Andy 🫡#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/YL5zo02emp
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 24, 2024
Murray for years did most of his off-season training in Miami and says he developed a real fondness for the area.
“Miami has been a special place for me during my career. It truly is my tennis home. I did a lot of my work, training and preparation here. I love the city,” he said.
Before leaving the field, he showed his appreciation to a crowd that had supported him, chanting and clapping throughout the long battle against Machac.
“The support has been great, obviously there were Americans in the crowd, there were Brits in the crowd, as well as a lot of Latin Americans here who love their tennis and have always been very supportive of me here.” , did he declare.
“So it was a little more emotional leaving the field today than at other events,” he said.
Murray knows that saying goodbye will await him throughout the season as he heads toward his planned retirement later this year.
“I’m looking forward to the end now and I’ll do my best over the next few months and then I can be home with my family and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
