Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev improves to 19-9 at the Miami Open presented by Itau.
By Jerome Coombe
Former finalist Alexander Zverev shook off a sluggish start on Monday to remain on track at the Miami Open presented by Itau and break an ATP Masters 1000 record.
The top seed produced a clinical response to his error-strewn start to prevail 7-5, 6-4 against Australia’s Jordan Thompson and reach the fourth round in Miami for the fifth time. Zverev rode a mid-match surge in form, during which he won eight of the next nine games from 1-4 in the first set, to improve to 3-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Thompson.
“Jordan made it difficult for me for sure,” said Zverev, who is now 19-9 in Miami. “He's a quality player. When you're in rhythm, he knows how to break [it] a little bit. So he did extremely well today. I'm happy with my level from 1-4 onwards, losing just one game out of [the next] nine.”
By sealing his 81st Masters 1000 win since the start of 2020, Zverev broke his tie with Stefanos Tsitsipas for the most recorded by any player in that period. Since 2020, he has won four titles (Rome and Paris last year, Madrid and Cincinnati in 2021) and reached two further finals.
ATP Masters 1000 Win Leaders Since 2020:
| Alexander Zverev | 81 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 80 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 78 |
| Jannik Sinner | 77 |
| Hubert Hurkacz | 69 |
The No. 37 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Thompson reeled off the first three games to spark hopes of an upset at Hard Rock Stadium. Yet once Zverev had found his range, there was no way past. The World No. 2 executed a sublime drop volley in the 11th game before going on to break and let out a mighty roar.
While Zverev’s first serve was typically sound, winning 76 per cent (32/42) of points behind it, his second serve proved key. The 23-time tour-level titlist dropped just three of the 13 second-serve points for a winning percentage of 77, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
For Zverev, who fell in his Indian Wells opener to Tallon Griekspoor, his third-round win in Miami marks just the second time he has earned back-to-back tour-level victories since reaching his third major final at the Australian Open in January. The 27-year-old reached the 2018 final in Miami, where he lost to John Isner, and will next continue his campaign against Arthur Fils. The Frenchman overcame cramping in the deciding set to defeat Frances Tiafoe 7-6(11), 5-7, 6-2 in a thrilling third-round clash.
The third-seeded Taylor Fritz avenged his recent Dallas loss to Denis Shapovalov by prevailing 7-5, 6-3 to seal his fourth-round spot in Miami. The American No. 1 let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set, but regained control with some imperious serving to motor to an 86-minute victory.
“If we went through that match 10 times, I feel like I would win it more times than I would lose it,” Fritz said of their recent meeting in Dallas. “In that match he served really well. Today, I probably returned a little bit better, but I got more help from him as well. He threw in some double [faults] and overall I played well.”
Since the Australian Open, Fritz has dealt with an abdominal injury, which forced him to withdraw from the ATP 500 in Acapulco. Yet, with back-to-back fourth-round runs in Indian Wells and Miami, Fritz seems to be gathering welcome momentum.
A 10-minute delay to assist a courtside fan in need of medical assistance appeared to shift the momentum with Shapovalov serving at 2-5. The Canadian No. 2 conjured some inspired shot-making to level at 5-5, but his hard work unravelled in a shaky 12th game: Shapovalov surrendered his serve to love with back-to-back double faults before Fritz hit a left-handed forehand en route to clinching his only set point.
Fritz continued to pile on the pressure to Shapovalov, who won just 62 per cent (23/37) of his first-serve points. In contrast, Fritz was ruthless on serve throughout the second set, during which he did not drop a point behind his 17 first deliveries en route to improving to 5-6 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head with Shapovalov.
As the first Top-3 seeded American in Miami since Andy Roddick in 2007, Fritz will next face Australia’s Adam Walton, who overcame Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 to become the fourth lucky loser to reach the Miami fourth round in tournament history.
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