Defending champion Danil Medvedev beat Cameron Norrie 7-5 6-1 to reach the third round at the Miami Open. Medvedev won eight of the final nine games, including six in a row from 5-5. The Russian player converted on six of his elven break points.
Medvedev broke twice in the first and third games to open up a 3-0 lead. Norrie pulled back both breaks back in the fourth and tenth games to draw level to draw level to draw level to 5-5. Medvedev broke again in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead and consolidated the break on his second set point to seal the first set 7-5.
The second set started in the same way. Medvedev broke twice in the first and third games to open up a 3-0 lead and held his next service games. Medvedev broke for the third time to close out the second set 6-1.
Medvedev has reached the semifinals in all three of his previous tournaments this season at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells but he has not won a title yet so far in 2024.
Medvedev has extended his winning streak to eleven consecutive matches against his British opponents.
“I generally think that the serve was not bad. The first serve was quite good. Cameron is someone who returns well, so I felt like I was still there. The positive side is that when he came back in the first set, he had the momentum going. I managed to regroup myself and win it 7-5 without even going to the tie-break. In general, even when you lose your serve, when you break the guy six times in two sets, it’s very positive”, said Medvedev.
Medvedev set up a third round match against Dominik Koepfer, who came back from one set down to beat Ugo Humbert 3-6 6-4 6-3.
Andrea Arnaldi beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3 7-6 (9-7) in just over an hour and a half to set up a third round match against Tomas Machac, who beat two-time Olympic champion Andy Murray 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5).
Both players went on serve until 3-2 in the first set before the match was interrupted by rain. Arnaldi immediately broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Arnaldi saved three break-back points in the seventh game and closed it out on his first set point.
Arnaldi earned the first break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and won his next two service games to take a 5-3 lead, but Shapovalov broke back at love in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. Arnaldi did not convert his first match point at 6-5 in the tie-break, but he saved a set point at 6-7. Arnaldi sealed the win on his second match point at 9-7.
Casper Ruud saved all seven break points to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-4. Ruud earned his 100th hard-court tour-level win. Ruud broke serve in the fourth game and sealed the first set with a hold at 15. The Norwegian player earned a break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. He sealed the win on his fourth match point after saving three break points.
Ruud set up a third round match against Chile’s Nicholas Jarry, who came back from one set down to beat Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-7 (1-7) 7-5 6-3. Seyboth Wild saved a total of six break points in the third and eleventh games of the first set. Seyboth Wild earned four mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-1. The second set went on serve until the 12thgame when Jarry earned the break to win the second set 7-5. Jarry broke serve in the sixth game to win the third set 6-3.
Alexei Popyrin beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4 6-4. Popyrin broke serve in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and served out the first set 6-4 at deuce after saving two break points. Lehecka broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead, but Popyrin won four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to seal the second set 6-4.
