Defending champion Danil Medvedev rallied from a slow start to beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer 7-6 (7-5) 6-0 inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Medvedev converted four of his nine break points.
Medvedev has improved his win-loss record to 3-0 in his head-to-head matches.
Medvedev converted his fourth break point in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Koepfer broke back at 30 in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Koepfer raced out to a 4-0 lead in the tie-break with two mini-breaks. Medvedev came back by winning seven of the next eight points with four mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-5. Medvedev broke three three times to take a bagel win in the second set.
“I think sometimes it happens, when you lose the first set the way he lost it. He played very good, probably he was closer to winning it because of of the 4-0 lead in the tie-break and when you lose such a set, especially when the points were tough, it brings your energy down. I knew I had to use that in the beginning of the second set. That’s why it was the most important and I managed to do it. Sometimes that happens, but the level was high today”, said Medvedev.
Medvedev set up a quarter final against Nicolas Jarry, who beat Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
Jarry converted his second break point in the first game and held at love to open up a 2-0 lead. Ruud broke back on his second opportunity in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Jarry earned two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3. Jarry earned a break in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and sealed the win on his first match point.
World number 60 Tomas Machac beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-3 6-3 to reach the quarter final at the Miami Open.
Arnaldi held on his serve at love in the first game. Machac won his first service game at deuce. The Czech player did not face any break points and broke twice in the fifth and ninth games to seal the first set 6-3.
Machac held on his service games and broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. He sealed the win on his second match point.
Machac will face the winner of the match between 2024 Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and Christopher O’Connell in the quarter final.
Machac will break into the top 50 for the first time in his career next week. The Czech player beat wild card Darwin Blanch 6-4 6-2, number 5 seed Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4 and Andy Murray 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5) in the previous rounds of this year’s edition of the Miami Open.
