The men’s Masters in Miami this year will be remembered at least for the fact that in every round, up to and including the semi-finals, there was at least one win from match point down. And certainly for the fact that this became one of the most unpredictable tournaments in quite some time. In the men’s draw, only three of the top 10 seeds reached the fourth round — Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. Last year there were five; in 2024, seven.
It all began with world No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who withdrew from the tournament at the last minute. The 24-year-old realised he had not yet fully recovered from the right thigh injury he suffered at the Australian Open and decided not to take any risks. As a reminder, since Melbourne the Italian had played only one match. In Indian Wells, he lost straight away to the experienced Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.
An early stumble by the world No. 1 at a major tournament always raises plenty of questions. Especially since Carlos Alcaraz has made everyone accustomed to the idea that he plays every match as if it were his last, emptying himself completely on court. The Spaniard had already won the Miami title four years ago. But after that triumph, his results on these courts kept getting worse and worse. Last season, he even lost his very first match here to David Goffin. That setback lit a fire under Carlitos, and after it he won 32 consecutive matches against opponents ranked outside the top 35. But that run was broken the other day in Miami by world No. 36 Sebastian Korda. As a result, Alcaraz failed to reach the semi-finals of a tournament he entered for only the second time this year. And it happened for the first time since his opening-match defeat at the Paris Masters in November. Even so, the 22-year-old Spaniard already has two titles this season — in Melbourne and Doha — a semi-final in Indian Wells, and a 17–2 win-loss record.
Daniil Medvedev lost a set to love for the second time this year. It happened in his defeat to Francisco Cerundolo. The Russian did have a chance to mount a heroic comeback: in the deciding set, he led by a break. But overall, the Argentine looked the steadier player. Daniil can still count the first three months of the season as a positive stretch. He has played them better than last year. But for now, he remains short of his own standards from the 2021–2024 period.
First&Red ambassador Alexander Bublik lost his very first match in Miami. That is his worst result since November of last year. Across his last three tournaments, Sasha has managed only two wins against three defeats. Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, extended his own losing streak in Miami to three matches. After that, he admitted that with his current style of play — a forehand and no backup plan — he had done everything he could in his career. Now it is time to try something new and see whether he can start over.
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered the heaviest defeat of his ATP career, winning just one game against Arthur Fils. Defending champion Jakub Mensik could not handle the pressure, losing in the third round to Frances Tiafoe after holding two match points. Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Karen Khachanov lost to a player ranked outside the top 150 for the second time this season. This time, the First&Red ambassador was beaten by 20-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce.
For all the misfires from the stars, it is worth noting that in Miami, for the first time since 2007, five teenagers reached the second round at the same Masters event: Joao Fonseca, Rei Sakamoto, Rafael Jodar, Moise Kouame and Darwin Blanch. That equals the series record.
On the women’s side, only another First&Red ambassador, Aryna Sabalenka, and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina can really boast stability this season. They once again reached a head-to-head meeting, this time in the semi-finals. The rest of the field, meanwhile, is still being tossed around.
Since last year’s Wimbledon title, Iga Swiatek has reached the quarter-final stage at almost every tournament she has played. Over that stretch, she also managed to collect two more trophies — in Cincinnati and Seoul. Most players would be more than satisfied with results like that, but not the former world No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion. So the 24-year-old Pole’s defeat as early as the second round of the Miami 1000 was taken badly both by Iga herself and by her fans.
Swiatek lost her temper to such an extent that she announced the end of her work with coach Wim Fissette; they had been working together since October 2024. Her fans, however, are convinced that the person who should have been dismissed was psychologist Daria Abramowicz, who, in their view, controls the athlete’s every move. It should be noted that the Pole lost her opening match at a tournament for the first time since 2021, including the WTA Finals and the team-based United Cup, where there is a group stage. Her winning streak in such matches stood at 73.
Things have not been going especially smoothly lately for Mirra Andreeva either. In Miami, lower-back problems also appeared. The 18-year-old Russian took a medical timeout in her fourth-round defeat to rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko. She then withdrew from the doubles tournament, where she had been playing alongside Mboko.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has been feeling gloomy as well. After an early exit, she admitted that she does not intend to stay in tennis if she keeps losing regularly in the first round. The 28-year-old Japanese player would rather simply be a good mother to her daughter.
