At Miami Open Sinner rolls Medvedev rallies and upsets pile up

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, the two men who met in the Indian Wells final, both opened their Miami Open campaigns with wins on Saturday, March 21, though they arrived there in very different ways.

Sinner looked sharp and settled from the start, beating Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3 on Stadium court. Medvedev had a far rougher afternoon, dropping the opening set to 19-year-old Japanese wild card Rei Sakamoto before recovering for a 6-7(10), 6-3, 6-1 victory.

Sinner’s performance was efficient and controlled, the kind of first match that suggests he has quickly adjusted from Indian Wells to Miami. After earning an early break in each set, the Italian protected his serve well and never allowed Dzumhur to build real pressure.

The result pushed Sinner into the third round, where he is set to face France’s Corentin Moutet, who came through a wild three-setter against Tomas Machac. Sinner is now chasing the Sunshine Double, a feat not achieved on the men’s side since Roger Federer in 2017.

Medvedev’s opener was far more complicated. Sakamoto took the first set in a tight tiebreak and had chances to seize control of the second, but Medvedev survived the danger, cleaned up his errors, and gradually took command.

Once the Russian found his rhythm, the match shifted sharply in his favor. He now moves on to face Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, who advanced from an all-Argentine matchup with a straight-sets win over Thiago Agustin Tirante.

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev moved through comfortably with a 6-2, 6-4 win over American Martin Damm, while eighth seed Ben Shelton was knocked out in one of the day’s notable surprises, falling to Alexander Shevchenko in three sets.

Another upset came later when Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo produced one of the strongest wins of the day, defeating 15th seed Andrey Rublev 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. Tabilo did not allow a single break point and now advances to face Alex Michelsen, who outlasted Cameron Norrie in three sets. Argentina also had more reason to celebrate, with Tomas Martin Etcheverry beating Zizou Bergs in two tiebreak sets to join Cerundolo in the next round.

The women’s draw also delivered a mix of routine progress and fresh surprises. Jessica Pegula was leading Francesca Jones 6-1, 3-0 when the Briton retired, sending the American through. Coco Gauff had to work much harder, dropping the opening set to Alycia Parks before roaring back 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 to reach the round of 16.

Two of the day’s biggest women’s headlines belonged to younger players. Australia’s Talia Gibson, who came through qualifying, defeated Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4, while 18-year-old American Iva Jovic swept past Paula Badosa 6-2, 6-1. The result added another upset to a day that repeatedly reminded the field that Miami’s early rounds can turn quickly, even for established names.

By the end of Saturday, the Miami Open had preserved plenty of star power near the top of the draw, with Sinner, Medvedev, Zverev, Pegula, and Gauff all still alive. But the day also belonged to the disruptors: Tabilo, Gibson, Jovic, and Sakamoto, even in defeat, all left a mark on a tournament that is already beginning to open in unexpected directions.