Miami Gardens (United States) (AFP) – Britain’s Jack Draper, the winner at Indian Wells, came back down to earth with a bump on Saturday, beaten by 54th ranked Czech Jakub Mensik in his opening match at the Miami Open. Draper moved into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time in his career with his triumph over Holger Rune in the Indian Wells final last Sunday, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the last four. But the 19-year-old Mensik rose to the occasion, winning two tie-breaks to enjoy a 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/3) win.
“It was tough, obviously I came up against someone today who was playing incredibly well,” said Draper. “He served 10 out of 10, I couldn’t get a read or a look on his serve at all. There were some things I could do better and obviously a big change in surface from last week,” he said, noting he had struggled to adjust to the faster courts. Rune was caught out, too, falling 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to American Reilly Opelka.
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Top seed Alexander Zverev eased into the third round with a 6-2 6-4 win over Britain’s Jacob Fearnley. Zverev’s title hopes received a boost on Friday when second-seed Carlos Alcaraz crashed out with a shock defeat to Belgian veteran David Goffin. With no Jannik Sinner while the Italian serves a doping ban, the German Zverev’s main challenger, on paper, should be Novak Djokovic. Zverev lost his opening game at Indian Wells but looked sharp on his debut on the South Florida stadium court.
“I’m generally happy with my level today,” said Zverev, a 2018 Miami finalist. “In Indian Wells it was very different, so I hope I can continue playing this way and have a great week here.” The 27-year-old took 74 minutes to take care of business against Fearnley and said his extra time off as a result of his surprise defeat to Tallon Griekspoor had been valuable. “Had two weeks time to practice and work on my game again and I did that – hopefully this is the first of many matches for me here,” he added.
There was an upset for 13th seeded American Ben Shelton, who was knocked out by 20-year-old wildcard Coleman Wong of Hong Kong. Wong, 128th in the world, battled his way to a 7-6 (7/3) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5) victory despite letting slip a 5-2 lead in the final set. His victory provides him with a place in the third round of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career. “I always trust myself to play in these big stages… I had a tough time (during) the COVID times. I didn’t play for a year and a half and I’m really lucky my team keeps supporting me. I’m really happy and this is for you Hong Kong,” said Wong.
Brazilian 18-year-old Joao Fonseca delighted his large and loud group of supporters with another energetic display as he knocked out 19th seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-3 and reached the third round at a Masters 1000 for the first time.
In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka moved into the fourth round after Romanian opponent Elena-Gabriela Ruse had to retire after the Belarusian won the first set 6-1. Ruse received medical treatment on her right thigh but was unable to continue. Third seed Coco Gauff progressed with a 6-2, 6-4 win over a struggling Maria Sakkari, who has slumped down the rankings from the top 10 to her current 51st.
Naomi Osaka met some determined resistance from American wild card Hailey Baptiste before emerging with a 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4 win. “Today was an emotional day for me,” said Osaka. “I’m a little embarrassed for how much I threw my racquet, which is something that I don’t like to be known for.” Ons Jabeur of Tunisia also retired allowing sixth-seed Jasmine Paolini to go through — the Italian was 4-3 and a break-up in the first when Jabeur could no longer continue due to a left leg injury.
© 2024 AFP
