MIAMI, March 27, 2016
The second round of the Miami Open presented by Itaú concluded on Saturday with the bottom half of the draw in action.
In the evening session, second seed Andy Murray, who won the title here in 2009 and 2013, ousted Denis Istomin 6-3, 7-5. The 28-year-old Brit won 70% of his first service points and converted four of his five break points to advance after one hour and 38 minutes. However, it was not Murray’s cleanest match of 2016. He landed only 52 per cent of his first serves and committed 24 unforced errors.
Andy Murray (photo: Miami Open)
“When you’re break points down and trying drop shots or going for big shots from the wrong position, it makes it tough,” Murray said. “But I was hitting the ball cleanly. It’s just the shot selection tonight could have been better, I think.”
Murray will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. The 26th seed from Bulgaria overcame Federico Delbonis, winning 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 39 minutes.
“He is obviously a top-quality player,” Murray noted. “He had a good win today, a tough win, against Delbonis.
“We played here once before; I managed to win that one. I played a bunch of tough matches against him. I think the last one was in Cincinnati where he had a match point. He had a bunch of chances to win that one and I managed to turn it around. I know I’ll need to play good tennis and be a little bit more disciplined than I was tonight.”
Andrey Kuznetsov (photo: Miami Open)
Andrey Kuznetsov caused the upset of the day, stunning world number four Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-3. Both players met for the second straight tournament, as the Swiss won in straight sets in Indian Wells last week. This time, the 25-year-old Russian, who won his first match in Miami on Tuesday beating lucky loser Rogerio Dutra Silva, had the better ending. Kuznetsov hit seven aces and 22 winners, saved all eight break points he faces and capitalized on three of his own to celebrate his second top 10 win in his career after one hour and 19 minutes. In 2014, the world number 51 downed David Ferrer in Wimbledon.
“I just tried to keep the pressure on him,” Kuznetsov told and will now face Adrian Mannarino, who knocked off Sam Querrey 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and one minute.
Nadal didn’t feel well in his opening match in Miami
In subtropical heat, a very distressed looking Rafael Nadal retired from a match for the first time in six years against Damir Dzumhur due to heat illness.
“If you’re feeling that bad, there’s no point pushing yourself,'” the doctor had told Nadal checking his blood pressure during changeover before the Spaniard decided to end the match.
Dzumhur celebrated his first victory against a top 10 player leading 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 after one hour and 50 minutes.
“Everything was fine until the end of the first set,” Nadal said. “Then I started to feel dizzy, not very good. It was getting worse and worse. Finally, in the second set, I realised that I could not keep playing.
“I wanted to finish the match, but I seriously could not. It was tough, because I felt I was playing well. I had good practices after a great week in Indian Wells. I stopped because I was concerned for my health, and I could not finish the match the way I was feeling.”
Sixth seed Kei Nishikori, who reached the semi-finals two years ago, beat French qualifier and Indian Wells doubles champion Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 7-6 in one hour and 29 minutes in the pair’s first tour meeting. The 26-year-old from Japan withstood nine aces, converting three of his four break point chances to advance after one hour and 29 minutes.
“He played much better in the second set,” Nishikori said. “I tried to be aggressive. I knew I had to somehow give him some pressure. I stayed confident even a break down and had a good win.”
Nishikori will take on Alexandr Dolgopolov next. The 27th seed from the Ukraine ousted Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes.
Milos Raonic (photo: Miami Open)
12th seed Milos Raonic, who is coming off his third career ATP Masters 1000 final in Indian Wells, beat Denis Kudla 7-6, 6-4. The 25-year-old Canadian fired 13 aces, saved all six break point he faced, breaking his opponent’s serve once to prevail in one hour and 32 minutes. Raonic will take on with Jack Sock another US-American player in the third round. The world number 24 from Kansas City benefited from the retirement of Sergiy Stakhovsky, leading 6-3, 3-2 in 54 minutes.
The tournament’s number 16 Gael Monfils cruised past Japanese qualifier Tastuma Ito, winning 6-3, 6-2. The 29-year-old Frenchman sent down nine aces and finished the encounter after only 57 minutes without facing a break point. Monfils will play Pablo Cuevas next, who took out John Millman 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 20 minutes.
Nick Kyrgios is back on the winning ways. The 20-year-old Aussie became the youngest active player on the ATP World Tour to win a title with his first crown in Marseille last month. He had also reached the semi-finals in Dubai before he lost to Albert Ramos in the first round in Indian Wells last week. Kyrgios downed Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-1. The world number 20 from Canberra fired 14 aces and won 74% of his first service points to finish the encounter after only 57 minutes.
