Category: Tennis

Jannik Sinner brushed aside Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets on Friday to set up a Monte Carlo Masters semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

The Italian extended his winning run at Masters 1000 events to 20 matches by seeing off his Canadian opponent 6-3, 6-4.

“I feel like it was a step forwards today,” said Sinner, whose record streak of 36 consecutive sets won in Masters tournaments was snapped by Tomas Machac in the last 16.

“It was a very tough match. I knew I had to get better in certain areas. The serve is not there yet, where I would love it (to be), but all things considered I’m very happy…

“But in any case, very happy to be back in the semis.”

Sinner has never won one of the elite tournaments on clay but will be a strong favourite when he plays Zverev, who edged out Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, after winning their last seven meetings.

The world number two, who completed the ‘Sunshine double’ with wins at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, is still on track for a possible first clash of the year with Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Sinner dropped just seven points on serve in a dominant opening set which he took courtesy of a break in the sixth game.

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The four-time Grand Slam champion also powered through the second set, wrapping up his fifth consecutive win over seventh-ranked Auger-Aliassime.

World number three Zverev sealed a battling 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 victory over Fonseca to reach the semi-finals in Monaco for the third time.

Zverev is targeting his first ATP title since winning in Munich 12 months ago.

The German could also complete a career sweep of the clay-court Masters 1000 events, having previously won both the Italian Open and Madrid Open twice each.

Big-hitting 19-year-old Fonseca was playing in his first Masters quarter-final but pushed his opponent for long periods.

Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Zverev broke in the 11th game and then served out the opening set to love, before breaking again at the start of the second.

Fonseca reeled off four straight games from 3-1 down to tee up the chance to serve for the set, but he failed to take that opportunity.

The world number 40 found his rhythm in the tie-break, though, reeling off a string of magnificent groundstrokes to force a decider.

But Fonseca could not maintain that level as Zverev improved.

The 28-year-old broke in the sixth game and confidently served out victory, reaching his third straight Masters 1000 semi-final this year.

Later on Friday, world number one and reigning champion Alcaraz takes on Alexander Bublik, before Alex de Minaur plays Valentin Vacherot.

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World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday pulled out of next week’s Stuttgart Open, citing an injury sustained at the Miami Open in March.

The Belarusian wrote on social media that she had failed to recover in time for the clay court tournament, which starts on Monday.

“I’m very sad to say that I won’t be able to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this year,” Sabalenka wrote in an Instagram story on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, I suffered an injury after Miami, and even though I tried everything to recover in time, I’m not ready to compete.

“I’m really sorry to miss this amazing tournament. Wishing everyone a great week in Stuttgart, and I hope to see you all again very soon.”

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Notably, the 27-year-old did not specify the nature of the injury.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has made it to the final in Stuttgart in four of the past five years but is yet to win the tournament.

“I always love coming back to Stuttgart. The atmosphere, the fans, and the support I feel there are so special to me. And of course, I was really hoping to have another chance to fight for that Porsche.”

Sabalenka beat local favourite Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to win the Miami Open to make it a “sunshine double,” having won the WTA 1000 at Indian Wells two weeks prior.

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Aryna Sabalenka won her second straight Miami Open title on Sunday, beating Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to complete a “Sunshine Double” Indian Wells-Miami sweep.

The world number one from Belarus, fresh off her first triumph in the California desert, became the fifth woman, and the first since Iga Swiatek in 2022, to win both of the elite early-season hardcourt WTA 1000 titles.

“It means a lot,” Sabalenka said after joining Poland’s Swiatek, German great Steffi Graf, Belgian Kim Clijsters and fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka on the list of women to win both titles in the same year.

“My goal has always been to put my name in history, and I just did it.”

Sabalenka underscored her WTA dominance in a season in which her only defeat to date was her Australian Open finals loss to Elena Rybakina, whom she went on to beat in the Indian Wells title match and in the semi-finals here.

She handed Gauff her first career defeat in a hardcourt final.

The American had won her first nine, including a triumph over Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open championship match.

Gauff had also beaten the Belarusian for the title on the red clay of Roland Garros last year.

So Sabalenka said she wasn’t surprised to see Gauff dig in, even after the Belarusian pocketed the first set with a ruthless display of power and precision.

She broke Gauff to open the match and, after Gauff saved three break points in a gritty fifth game, broke the American again in the seventh before serving it out in 37 minutes without facing a break point herself.

In a tense second set, Gauff’s first break point chance, from a blistering backhand passing winner in the second game, sparked a jubilant reaction from the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, which is just about an hour away from Gauff’s Delray Beach home.

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But Gauff couldn’t convert, slamming a forehand into the net on the next point as Sabalenka held. It needed another gutsy hold from Gauff to keep it on serve in the fifth game.

Up 40-0, she wasted three game points with a pair of errors off the ground and a double fault, then had to save a break point before taking the game.

But Gauff was finding more depth on her returns and broke Sabalenka for the first time to take the second set.

“I knew that she was going to try her very best to fight in this match,” Sabalenka said. “I was just trying to keep a positive mindset going into the third set. I’m super happy how well I handled my emotions, how well I stayed focused from the very beginning to the very end.”

And the third set, again, was virtually all Sabalenka. She broke to open the final frame and broke again when Gauff sailed a backhand long on Sabalenka’s first match point.

“What a month,” said Sabalenka, who, along with two prestigious titles, acquired a new puppy and got engaged to boyfriend Georgios Frangulis.

Gauff was also feeling grateful after a rocky March that saw her withdraw from her third-round match at Indian Wells with a nerve issue that caused “scary” pain in her left arm.

She had said after a dominant semi-final win over Karolina Muchova that she was making progress with the inconsistencies in her serve and forehand, although seven double faults hurt her cause against Sabalenka.

And after considering skipping the event, the 22-year-old was thrilled to reach the final for the first time.

“I feel like I’m nowhere near the peak of my tennis, so I think it gives me comfort a little bit playing these tournaments and having great results,” she said.

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World number two Jannik Sinner of Italy stretched his win streak over fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev to seven matches on Friday, advancing to a Miami Open men’s final against Czech Jiri Lehecka.

The 24-year-old Italian fired 15 aces in beating Germany’s Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) after an hour and 53 minutes — boosting his streak of consecutive sets won at the elite Masters 1000 level to 32.

Sinner is trying to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the “Sunshine Double” by winning titles at Indian Wells and Miami in the same year.

“Standing here again in a final means very much to me,” Sinner said. “We’ll try to push in a couple of days, but in any case, it has been an incredible swing.”

Reigning Wimbledon champion Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam winner, also beat Zverev two weeks ago in the Indian Wells semi-finals and seeks his second Miami crown in three years.

“Coming here, trying to produce some good tennis, that was my main goal,” Sinner said. “Trying to play as many matches as possible. I couldn’t do better. I’m very happy.”

Also attempting a “Sunshine Double” is world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who defends her Miami crown against American fourth seed Coco Gauff in Saturday’s WTA final.

Lehecka, seeded 21st, dominated 28th-seeded Arthur Fils of France 6-2, 6-2 in the other semi-final at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

Lehecka is winless in three matches against Sinner without taking a set.

“He’s an incredible player,” said Sinner. “He’s going to be for sure more free than me, but I try to control whatever I can control, and the rest we’ll see how it goes.”

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Jannik Sinner blasted a forehand winner to break Alexander Zverev for a 3-1 lead and held from there to capture the first set after 42 minutes on a service winner.

Neither player could manage a break into the second-set tie-breaker, which turned when Zverev sent an overhead smash long to hand Sinner a 5-4 lead.

Zverev, who last beat the Italian in the fourth round at the 2023 US Open, sent a backhand wide on the next point and Sinner settled matters with a service winner, improving to 8-4 all-time against the German.

“Today has been a very tough encounter. He played some incredible tennis,” Sinner said. “I was serving very well, especially in the crucial moments, so I’m very happy.”

Sinner seeks a 26th career ATP title in his 35th career final.

Jiri Lehecka, who has not dropped a set in the event, delivered the Frenchman’s first four broken service games to advance after 75 minutes.

“It feels great. It’s definitely something I’ve been working towards the whole year and the whole pre-season,” Lehecka said.

“I really trusted my game and the work I put in. It didn’t matter when, but I knew it would come, and today was a nice example of how I want to play. I executed it well, so I’m very happy with today’s performance.”

Lehecka will jump past his current career-high ranking of 16th next week. He’s assured of leaping eight spots to 14th and, with a title, would reach 12th.

The 24-year-old seeks his third ATP title after Adelaide in 2024 and Brisbane in 2025. It’s the eighth career final for the Czech but his first in a Masters 1000 event.

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World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka powered past second-ranked Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to line up a Miami Open title clash with Coco Gauff.

Sabalenka, who fell to Rybakina in the Australian Open final before turning the tables on the Kazakh in the Indian Wells title match earlier this month, broke the big-serving Rybakina twice in each set to come out on top in the blockbuster semi-final and keep her bid for the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami on track.

“I think I did everything right,” said Sabalenka, who applied ruthless pressure on Rybakina’s serve while delivering a sterling service performance that featured nine aces — including four in a row across the seventh and ninth games of the opening set.

“She’s an incredible player, always pushes me to the limit,” Sabalenka said. “With her, you have to bring your best tennis, and that’s why I was able to pull out such great tennis today.”

Sabalenka had to save a match point to beat Rybakina in Indian Wells, but she was on the front foot on Thursday, seizing a break for a 3-1 lead in the opening set.

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Rybakina recouped the break immediately, but Sabalenka broke again to pocket the set and took command in the second with a break for 2-0 in a game which Rybakina led 40-0.

Trailing 0-4, Rybakina clawed back a break for 4-1, but Sabalenka wouldn’t flinch again. Rybakina saved one match point on her own serve before Sabalenka served it out with a love game punctuated by a fierce forehand winner.

The match marked the first time outside the WTA Finals that the world’s two top-ranked players met before a final since Martina Hingis and Jana Novotna in the 1998 US Open semi-finals.

It could only come about because Rybakina was seeded third, her rise to second in the rankings on Monday coming a day after the Miami draw was made.

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Jannik Sinner powered into the Miami Open quarter-finals on Tuesday, defeating unseeded American Alex Michelsen in straight sets to stay on course for the “Sunshine Double”.

Italian second seed Sinner, who is bidding to follow up his triumph at Indian Wells with victory in Miami, bided his time before completing a 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) win in 1hr 41min.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who will face 19th seed Frances Tiafoe in the last eight, was made to work hard by the 40th-ranked Michelsen.

After a cagey opening, Sinner began to put pressure on Michelsen’s serve in the ninth game of the first set, carving out three break points.

Michelsen rode out that storm, but Sinner finally broke through in the 11th game before serving out for the first set.

Michelsen hit back in the second set, breaking Sinner for a 4-2 lead before holding to go 5-2 up.

Michelsen appeared to struggle with the bright late afternoon sunlight on the Hard Rock Stadium’s main court, and Sinner came roaring back to force a tiebreak.

Sinner sealed the win with a thumping serve that Michelsen could only return wide.

“I feel like I served very well in important moments and that helped me out, especially in the tough moments,” said Sinner, who unfurled 15 aces to Michelsen’s three.

“But today was not easy, I played a night match yesterday and today in the daytime, so the conditions were very different.”

Home hope Tiafoe advanced to his quarter-final date with Sinner after battling past France’s Terence Atmane 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

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Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce, ranked 151st in the world, upset American 32nd seed Sebastian Korda to score a 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 victory.

The win marked another impressive victory for the 20-year-old Landaluce, who eliminated Russian 14th seed Karen Khachanov.

Korda, who had beaten world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, had a match point late in the second set, but Landaluce survived to set up a quarter-final against Czech 21st seed Jiri Lehecka.

Landaluce, who had failed to register a single win at tour level in 2026 before arriving in Miami, dedicated his latest success to his late grandmother.

“She would have been 101 last week, and she passed away a few months ago. I wanted to give her the victory,” Landaluce said.

Lehecka booked his place in the quarter-finals by ousting sixth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 in 2hr 25min.

“I just felt that in the third set, if I wanted to beat a guy like Taylor, I just needed to go for it and be aggressive,” Lehecka said.

American 22nd seed Tommy Paul set up a quarter-final against France’s Arthur Fils after cruising past Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry 6-1, 6-3.

Fils beat Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4.

Argentina’s 18th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo followed up his upset of Daniil Medvedev on Monday with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 defeat of French 31st seed Ugo Humbert.

Cerundolo will face Alexander Zverev in the last eight after the German third seed defeated France’s Quentin Halys 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/1).

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World No. 2 Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run, cruising into the fourth round of the Miami Open with a commanding straight-sets victory while also rewriting the record books.

The Italian star brushed aside France’s Corentin Moutet 6-1, 6-4 in a one-sided third-round encounter, extending his remarkable streak at Masters 1000 events.

In doing so, Sinner registered his 25th and 26th consecutive sets won at this level, surpassing the previous record of 24 set by Novak Djokovic in 2016.

The 23-year-old has now won his last two Masters 1000 titles, Indian Wells and Paris, without dropping a single set.

“I am very happy,” Sinner said after the match. “This sport is unpredictable, so we try to keep attention as much as we can, and we’ll see what is coming in the next round.”

Jannik Sinner was in complete control from the outset on the Hard Rock Stadium’s main court, racing to a 4-1 lead after winning 19 of the first 26 points.

He wrapped up the opening set in just 22 minutes and never allowed Moutet a foothold in the contest.

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The second seed fired seven aces, converted three of six break points, and saved the only break opportunity he faced. He will next take on American Alex Michelsen, who staged a comeback win over Alejandro Tabilo.

While Sinner’s campaign gathers momentum, the tournament has seen a wave of high-profile exits.

Defending champion Jakub Mensik was knocked out in a marathon clash against Frances Tiafoe, who edged a gripping three-set battle 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(11).

The nearly three-hour encounter saw Mensik save six match points before eventually succumbing, while Tiafoe himself held his nerve after saving two match points in the final-set tiebreak.

The American will now face France’s Terence Atmane in the next round.

Atmane progressed with a notable upset over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, adding to a growing list of seeded casualties in Miami.

Among the biggest shocks was the early exit of Daniil Medvedev, who fell to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in three sets. The tournament had already seen world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Alex De Minaur and Ben Shelton bow out earlier.

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World number one Aryna Sabalenka stayed on course for a rare “Sunshine Double” on Monday, downing China’s Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.

Sabalenka, who is aiming to defend the Miami title she won for the first time last year, eased past 2024 Olympic champion and 23rd seed Zheng 6-3, 6-4 in 1hr 25min to book her place in the last eight.

The 27-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion is bidding to join an elite group of women who have won both the WTA Indian Wells and Miami Open in the same year.

Only four other women — Steffi Graf in 1994 and 1996, Kim Clijsters in 2005, Victoria Azarenka in 2016 and Iga Swiatek in 2022 — have achieved the feat.

Sabalenka, who beat Elena Rybakina to win in Indian Wells earlier this month, will face unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals.

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On Monday’s form, few would bet against the big-hitting four-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus, who comfortably disposed of 23rd seed Zheng in 1hr 25min.

“She’s a tough opponent, and I’m super happy with the level I played at today,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “I can definitely say that it felt like home.

“I feel like I’m getting better, serving better, getting used to these conditions, which are tricky. But I’m getting more and more comfortable with every match,” added Sabalenka, who faces unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals.

Baptiste was one of three American women to advance to the last eight on Monday.

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World number one Carlos Alcaraz was dialed in on Friday, powering past rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Miami Open.

The 22-year-old Spaniard used an early break in each set and saved all three break points he faced in a confident performance at Hard Rock Stadium, where 19-year-old Fonseca was cheered by a raucous contingent of fans.

“I was really good from the beginning until the last ball,” Alcaraz said. “I know how good Joao is and that’s why I was really focused, every point, every shot, trying to figure out what is the best possible shot for me.”

Alcaraz bounced back from his semi-final loss to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells last week to improve to 17-1 in 2026.

That includes an Australian Open title that made him the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam and a title in Doha.

Alcaraz gained the upper hand against 39th-ranked Fonseca with a break for 2-1 in the opening set, delivering a blistering forehand service return winner on break point.

He closed out the set with a love game, broke Fonseca to open the second and secured the victory with his eighth ace on match point.

It was extra satisfying since Alcaraz was stunned in his Miami opener by David Goffin last year.

“He had a lot of chances to stay in the match to (keep it) tight, so I’m just happy to stay calm, stay positive at these moments,” said Alcaraz, who next faces American Sebastian Korda, a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Camilo Ugo.

Women’s number one Aryna Sabalenka held off determined American Ann Li 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to launch her Miami title defense.

The Belarusian was pleased to get through in straight sets against her 39th-ranked foe in a match moved to the third show court as organizers hustled to get the rain-hit tournament back on schedule.

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She needed more than an hour to pocket a first set in which she led 4-1 and wasted seven break points in the eighth game.

“I was there, I was fighting no matter what, even though my game probably wasn’t the best one that I have,” Sabalenka said.

Third-seeded Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff and sixth-seeded compatriot Amanda Anisimova also reached the third round.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who stunned Sabalenka in the final in Melbourne but fell to the world number one in the Indian Wells final, beat compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-3.

French Open champion Gauff rallied to beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match delayed several hours by rain.

Anisimova outlasted Australian veteran Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

It was Gauff’s first match since she retired during her third-round match at Indian Wells with “scary” pain in her left arm.

Gauff said the injury was improving.

“I might feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day,” said Gauff, who took some time to find her rhythm against the aggressive Cocciaretto.

“She takes the ball so early, you don’t have a lot of time to react,” Gauff said. “Today, once I got adjusted to the tempo of play I was able to control the rallies when they went the distance.”

In other men’s action, 56th-ranked American Ethan Quinn upset Norway’s 11th-seeded Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), saving seven set points in the second set on the way to victory.

Japanese wildcard Rei Sakamoto bagged his maiden ATP match win, converting his fifth match point in a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) first-round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic.

The 19-year-old ranked 164th booked a showdown with in-form Indian Wells finalist Medvedev.

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Carlos Alcaraz had to dig deep to extend his 2026 unbeaten run, rallying from a set and a break down to beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2 in the third round at Indian Wells on Monday.

The big-serving Frenchman’s aggressive game forced world number one Alcaraz to call on every shot in his arsenal to turn a tense contest his way.

Alcaraz will face 13th-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud for a place in the quarter-finals.

“Really happy that I was able to turn things around,” said Alcaraz.

The Spaniard nearly managed to steal the first-set tiebreaker, in which he had trailed 2-5, but a wayward forehand on set point gave Rinderknech his chance to pocket the set with a pair of winners.

Rinderknech then produced the first service break of the match to put the top seed in a hole in the opening game of the second set.

Alcaraz responded with an immediate break back, ramping up the pressure on Rinderknech’s serve on the way to a decisive break in the sixth game.

When Alcaraz broke again to open the third set, he was on his way, rolling to his sixth win over 26th-ranked Rinderknech in six career meetings.

“In the beginning, I was a little bit mad with myself because I just had a lot of chances in the first set, a few break points, a set point, and I couldn’t make it,” Alcaraz said.

“I got in trouble, to be honest. But I’m just really happy with the way that I just dealt with everything that was happening, accepted it, kept going, stayed strong mentally.”

Rinderknech had never won a match in Indian Wells in three prior appearances, and he leaves this edition without an on-court victory after enjoying a first-round bye and advancing to the third round by walkover.

Carlos Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with his victory at the Australian Open.

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He followed that up with the Qatar Open title, and with two wins under his belt in Indian Wells, is now 14-0 on the season.

He next faces Ruud, who beat Valentin Vacherot 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

It was hard going for world number three Novak Djokovic in his 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over 72nd-ranked American Aleksandar Kovacevic, who peppered Djokovic with 16 aces.

Djokovic made an early break to take the first set, but Kovacevic found his groove and rolled through the second against the clearly frustrated Serb.

Djokovic regrouped in the third but didn’t find the break he needed until the final game.

“Today was really anybody’s game until the last couple of points,” Djokovic said. “That last game in the third, where he missed some first serves, gave me looks on the second, and I used it. That’s pretty much it.”

With five Indian Wells titles, Djokovic is tied for the record with Swiss great Roger Federer, but he’s in the fourth round for the first time since 2017.

Djokovic next faces defending champion Jack Draper, who beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5.

Draper’s victory here last year launched his rise to fourth in the world.

But he then missed the better part of six months with an arm injury and arrived in California ranked 14th, his win over Cerundolo marking the first time since June that he’s posted back-to-back ATP victories.

A trio of top-10 players were sent packing.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie ousted sixth-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4, Alex Michelsen beat seventh-ranked fellow American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) and Australian qualifier Rinki Hijikata, ranked 117th in the world, shocked 10th-ranked Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

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