Zverev With Record-Setting Performance, Advances At Miami Open

Alexander Zverev, Miami Open
Alexander Zverev (photo: Miami Open/Hard Rock Stadium)

MIAMI/WASHINGTON, March 25, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

The conclusion of the men’s third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau took place Monday – and it was filled with plenty of exciting outcomes.

Eight round of 16 spots remained in play as Alexander Zverev took on Jordan Thompson of Australia inside Hard Rock Stadium in their fifth career meeting to start the sixth day of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami Gardens, Fla., north of downtown Miami.

The 27-year-old World No. 2 from Germany defeated the 37th-ranked Thompson, 7-5, 6-4, in an hour and 27 minutes to advance to the round of 16 at the 11th of his last 12 ATP Masters 1000 events following a second-round loss to Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands at Indian Wells earlier this month. It was Zverev’s 81st ATP Masters 1000 triumph since 2020 – an ATP Tour-best mark – and he’s through to the Miami Open round of 16 for the fifth time.

Thompson, who sought the third Top-3 win of his career, won the first three games of the match and held a 4-1 lead in the opening set before Zverev rebounded and turned the third-round tussle around. Zverev, who closed out the win with fifth-shot drop-volley winner on his second match-point opportunity, hit 22 winners and outpointed Thompson 64-51 for his third career win against the Aussie.

“Jordan made it difficult for me,” Zverev said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “For sure, he’s a quality player. When you’re in rhythm, he knows how to break your rhythm. He did extremely well today. I’m happy with my level from 1-4 onward, losing just one game out of the next nine. Definitely, I’m happy with my level. … I’m happy with the win.”

Zverev, who improved to 19-9 lifetime in Miami, is one of four previous Miami Open finalists remaining in the draw – and the only one in the top half. Next, he will face No. 17 seed Arthur Fils of France.

Fils overcomes cramps, tops Tiafoe

Early Monday evening on the Grandstand, the 20-year-old Fils rallied to beat No. 16 seed Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 7-6 (11), 5-7, 6-2, in two hours and 55 minutes in an entertaining first-time meeting that was filled with plenty of peaks and valleys to fill a highlight reel.

Fils overcame 46 unforced errors – and two squandered match points in the second set while serving at 5-4 – to finish with 45 winners, which included 21 aces. He took advantage of 49 unforced errors by Tiafoe and outpointed his opponent 127-114, winning the final five games of the skirmish.

Tiafoe came in 17-6 on U.S. soil since last July, highlighted by his run to a first ATP Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Fils was successful in reaching his third ATP Masters 1000 Round of 16 after reaching the stage in his last two events at Paris (2024) and earlier this year at Indian Wells. He converted four of 14 break points against Tiafoe in moving up to No. 16 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“It was very tough. When I got into the third set, I was cramping,” Fils admitted during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “I couldn’t find the rhythm anymore. My serve was tough and I couldn’t jump. So, I tried to relax and play as fast as I could and hit as strong as I could. Somehow, it worked.

“It’s not going to work every day, that’s for sure. Maybe, once or twice out of 10 it’s going to work, and today it worked. I’m very happy about it, but Frances is a hell of a champion. It’s the first time we have played, and I hope we are going to have many more great battles.”

Around Hard Rock Stadium

• American No. 1 Taylor Fritz faced No. 27 seed Denis Shapovalov with the Canadian leading their career head-to-head 6-4 in a featured afternoon match on the Grandstand. Fritz aimed to avenge his second-round loss to Shapovalov in Dallas earlier this year and to defeat Shapovalov at Hard Rock Stadium for second time in the last three years. Meanwhile, Shapovalov looked to advance to the fourth round at Miami for the first time since reaching the 2019 semifinals and to become the first Canadian man in the Miami Open fourth round since Milos Raonic in 2021.

As it happened, it was Fritz who won, 7-5, 6-3, in one hour and 26 minutes. Although he let slip a 5-2 first set lead, Fritz regrouped and put away the victory with a seventh-shot forehand winner on his first match point, in back of nine aces and 16 winners.

“If we went through that match 10 times, I feel like I would win it more times than I would lose it,” Fritz said during his on-court interview with ATP Media, looking back at his recent meeting with Shapovalov at February’s Dallas Open. “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.”

Next, Fritz, who is through to the fourth round in back-to-back Masters 1000 events, will face lucky loser Adam Walton of Australia. The No. 89 Walton eliminated 182nd-ranked wild card Coleman Wong of Hong Kong, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4, in two hours and 19 minutes to become just the fourth lucky loser in tournament history to reach the fourth round.

• Also in American action, No. 114 Reilly Opelka lost to World No. 21 Tomas Machac of Czechia, 7-6 (1), 6-3, in an hour and 14 minutes on Butch Buchholz Court, stymying the 6-foot-11-inch Floridian’s return to Top 100. Machac, a first-time ATP Tour titlist last month in Acapulco, has won seven of his last eight matches and reached his second Miami round of 16. Machac withstood 19 aces from Opelka, won 90 percent of his first-serve points and made just five unforced errors.

Next, Machac will face fellow Czechian Jakub Mensik, ranked 54th, who took out No. 71 Roman Safiullin of Russia, 6-4, 6-4, in 72 minutes on Court 1.

• Meanwhile, #NextGen 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 third round, lost to World No. 11 Alex de Minaur of Australia, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, in a featured match inside Hard Rock Stadium Monday evening with plenty of vocal support from South Florida’s Brazilian community that lasted two hours and 31 minutes.

Fonseca aimed to join Thiago Monteiro as the only active Brazilians to reach the round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event and become the first Brazilian man into the Miami Open fourth round since 2010. He also attempted to become the fourth-youngest man to earn multiple Top 20 wins in one event this century.

However, de Minaur had other plans – and won six of the final seven games of the match. He tied Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime for most wins on the ATP Tour this season with 17 – and his spirited, physical victory over Fonseca equaled his best result in Miami, in reaching the fourth round for the second time.

De Minaur hit 22 winners and took advantage of 43 unforced errors by Fonseca. The Aussie No. 1 converted four of five break points and outpointed Fonseca 102-89.

During his on-court interview with ATP Media, de Minaur was asked to describe what it was like handling the mental pressure against Fonseca, who was clearly the crowd favorite. He said: “It was a hell of a battle. I knew coming in what to expect. Not only is he an incredibly talented, dangerous and explosive player, but he plays with so much confidence and he had the crowd behind him. I knew I was going to be up against it and it was going to take every single ounce of me. I just put my head down and got to work. I’m very happy with the win.”

Next, de Minaur will face No. 29 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 round of 16 since 2023 – and first on hard courts since 2022 – after defeating No. 51 Zizou Bergs of Belgium, 6-4, 6-4. Berrettini hit 15 winners and Bergs committed 35 unforced errors during their one-hour, 34-minute match on the Grandstand.

Monday’s Miami Open results

Tuesday’s Miami Open order of play

By the numbers

Since 2020, Alexander Zverev has compiled the most ATP Masters 1000 wins 81. Second is Stefanos Tsitsipas with 80. Daniil Medvedev follows with 78, then Jannik Sinner 77 and Hubert Hurkacz 69.

“Quotable …”

“I’ve played so many matches and I know it’s not easy to close out matches with a big atmosphere. If you win the first point, it’s key. I was fortunate enough to return down the line and come down to the net and I caught him. I knew at that moment, that point can be a game changer and it was. Crowd getting involved and then it’s pure experience and pure joy from my side as well.”

– Gaël Monfils of France, who at 38 years old is the oldest player to reach the Miami Open fourth round, during his post-match interview after defeating Jaume Munar of Spain, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (1), on Sunday. Next, Monfils will play No. 24 seed Sebastian Korda of the United States.

 

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