Medvedev, Sinner, Alcaraz in Miami Open quarters. Three-time champ Azarenka in women’s semi
Defending Miami Open champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia struggled early, but regained his form and reached the quarterfinals on a sunny Tuesday afternoon with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 win over Dominik Koepfer of Germany.
Medvedev trailed 4-0 in the first-set tie break but rallied to win the remaining games to stay alive. His next opponent is Chilean Nicolas Jarry who upset Norwegian seventh seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
A loud, spirited crowd of Chilean fans rooted for the 22nd-seeded Jarry, who had 39 winners to Ruud’s 17.
Last year’s runner-up, second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy also moved into the next round, defeating Christopher O’Connell of Australia 6-4, 6-3. Sinner trailed 3-1 in the opening set, but took control of the match and cruised to victory.
Sinner, the reigning Australian Open champion, has great memories of the Miami Open, as it is here that he played his first final in a top-tier Masters event in 2021, losing to close friend Hubert Hurkacz. It was a breakthrough event for the then-teenager, who entered as a No. 21 seed.
“I remember center court was in the Grandstand because of COVID, everything was new to me,” Sinner said on Tuesday. “I played my first final here. I couldn’t sleep the night beefore the final because it was new for me, but it ws a great experience and I’m happy to be again here in the quarterfinals.
“It’s an amazing event, amazing feeling and hopefully I can show some good tennis. To see the process, back in 2021 I was one player, now I’m a different player and hoipefully in four years I’m different again.”
Sinner will face Czech Tomas Machac who reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over fellow Italian, Matteo Arnaldi.
Top seed and 2002 Miami Open champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 and then raced off to the Kaseya Center to watch the Miami Heat play the Golden State Warriors. Heat star Jimmy Butler was at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night for Alcaraz’s match, and the two spoke afterward.
On the women’s side, the title race is wide open after world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland was upset 6-4, 6-2 Monday night by Ekaterina Alexandrova. Only three of the Top 10 seeds are remaining. It is only the second time in tournament history that none of the top three seeds advanced to the quarterfinals.
Alexandrova, who had never beaten a No. 1 ranked player, broke Swiatek in the opening game and broke her in games three and five in the second set. She will face world No. 5 Jessica Pegula of the United States in the quarterfinals.
“Second quarterfinal here, second year in a row,” Alexandrova said. “Beating Iga after so many tries and she’s No 1. It’s the first time I beat No 1. All three things are very special to me.”
Three-time Miami Open champion Victoria Azarenka, 34, reached the semifinals with a 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 6-3 win over Yulia Putintseva. Azarenka was the oldest quarterfinalist in the draw and becomes the second oldest semifinalist in tournament history behind Venus Williams, who was 36.
The match included a 45-minute interruption for a power outage and technical glitch on stadium court. Azarenka trailed 2-1 at the break, wound up winning the set, dropped the second set and then rallied to dominate the deciding set.
“My legs were giving a little bit and I lost a little bit of self-belief because she was playing so well, was moving me around everywhere, but I’m very happy I was able to regroup, reset and take my chances and play aggressive,” Azarenka said. “It was really fun and entertaining.”
Asked how it feels to be a three-time champion, she said: “It’s always going to stay in the history book and it’s awesome that my son can go take pictures with the trophy next to me. It’s three times, I’m still excited. I’ve played on tour for 20 years and I still feel I’m improving. That’s priceless to me.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 6:53 PM.