MIAMI – Daniil Medvedev crashed out of the Miami tennis Open in the second round after suffering a 6-2, 6-3 upset defeat to Spain’s 56th-ranked Jaume Munar.
Six-times champion Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, made his long-awaited Miami Open return and defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata 6-0 7-6(1) to reach the third round.
Medvedev, the 2023 winner in Miami, showed his frustration, hurling his racket on several occasions as the Mallorca-born 27-year-old picked up his third career win against a top 10 opponent.
The Russian made 32 unforced errors and although he gave himself a chance of a comeback in the final game, he couldn’t convert on two break points, AFP reported.
Karen Khachanov ensured the Nick Kyrgios comeback trail was cut short with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 win.
Australian Kyrgios, who has struggled since wrist surgery, defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round to earn his first tour-level win since October 2022 but was unable to overcome Khachanov, who reached the semis in Miami in 2023.
In the women’s draw, world No 2 Iga Swiatek advanced into the third round after surviving a second set dip to beat France’s Caroline Garcia 6-2, 7-5.
Swiatek had beaten Garcia with ease at the same stage at Indian Wells earlier this month but she faced a little more resistance at Hard Rock Stadium.
Swiatek was 3-1 down in the second set and had to save a set point, when serving at 5-4 down before rallying to win the last three games.
“My energy level got down really fast. So I tried to wake myself up, keep the intensity from the first set, follow through and go for it,” Swiatek said.
Swiatek lost to Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals at Indian Wells, with the 17-year-old Russian going on to win the title.
