TIE-BREAKFAST - 25/03 Miami Open

Good morning and welcome back to TIE-Breakfast: all the tennis you need over breakfast.

The daily newsletter from Ace Cream during Masters 1000 and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Wednesday, March 25, in Miami it's 3:30 AM and it's 18 degrees. Alright, let's go.

Today's breakfast menu

• 🇮🇹 Sinner advances again in straight sets: Michelsen beaten 7-5, 7-6 as the Masters 1000 winning streak continues
• 🇪🇸 Landaluce, the qualifier who keeps on surprising: comes back against Korda saving a match point
• 🇨🇿 Lehecka eliminates Fritz in three sets and reaches the quarterfinals, Zverev advances in two tiebreaks
• 🇺🇸 Gauff reaches her first Miami semifinal, Muchova beats Mboko in two tight sets
• 🇪🇸 Landaluce-Lehecka and Rybakina-Pegula on today's schedule

WHAT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT:

🇮🇹 Sinner Advances Without Dropping A Set, The Streak Continues

Jannik Sinner defeated Alex Michelsen 7-5, 7-6(4) in one hour and forty-one minutes, reaching the quarterfinals in Miami without having dropped a set in the tournament. Fifteen aces, 66% of first serves in with thirty-eight points won out of forty-two, and a dominance on serve that made life difficult for the young American, facing his third head-to-head meeting and still without a set won against the Italian.

The match wasn't dominated on the scoreboard like previous ones, but the feeling was that Sinner always had room to raise his level at the decisive moments. The streak of sets won at Masters 1000 events, which has now surpassed Djokovic's record, continues almost as a footnote compared to the overall quality of tennis he's producing at this stage of the season. He'll face Tiafoe in the quarterfinals.

🇪🇸 Landaluce Saves A Match Point And Reaches The Quarterfinals As A Qualifier

Martin Landaluce defeated Sebastian Korda 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4, saving a match point in the second-set tiebreak with a crosscourt backhand return that changed the direction of the match. The twenty-year-old Spaniard, who arrived in Miami as a qualifier and without a tour-level win in 2026, became the lowest-ranked player to reach the quarterfinals in Miami since 1994.

After the win, Landaluce dedicated the result to his grandmother, who passed away a few months ago. What stands out is how he managed the third set, going up 3-0 and keeping his composure despite two medical timeouts from Korda for a back problem. Matches like these, at twenty years old and as a qualifier, leave the impression of a player who already knows how to handle the big moments, even when everything seems to be against him.

🇨🇿 Lehecka Eliminates Fritz In The Third Set And Removes The Last Top 10 Player From The Draw

Jiri Lehecka defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 in two hours and twenty-five minutes, recording his first top-10 win on hard court since February 2025. The third set, with a Performance Rating of 9.53 against the tour average of 7.29, tells the story of a level that Fritz couldn't contain after leveling things in the tiebreak.

With Fritz's exit, there are no more top-10 seeds left in the top half of the draw, a scenario that seemed highly unlikely at the start of the tournament. Lehecka becomes the third Czech to reach the quarterfinals in both Sunshine Double events, after Petr Korda and Tomas Berdych.

🇩🇪 Zverev Through To The Quarterfinals In Two Tiebreaks, No Scares

Alexander Zverev defeated Quentin Halys 7-6(4), 7-6(1), in a match that never felt like it could slip away. The second tiebreak, closed out 7-1, confirms Zverev's ability to raise his level when needed, even in a match that on paper could have been more complicated.

🇺🇸 Gauff Reaches Her First Miami Semifinal, Bencic Comes Back But Falls In The Third

Coco Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours and fifteen minutes, reaching her first career semifinal at her home tournament. After a controlled first set with 94% of points won on first serve and eight out of eight at the net, the second was a sudden collapse, with Bencic reducing her errors and dominating in less than half an hour.

The key moment came in the third set, down a break, when Gauff exclaimed "So many chances" after missing several break points. From there, she won four consecutive games to close it out, showing a resilience that isn't always attributed to her in the most delicate phases. She'll face Muchova in the semifinals.

🇨🇿 Muchova Gets Past Mboko Without Conceding A Break

Karolina Muchova defeated Victoria Mboko 7-5, 7-6(5) without losing her serve in twelve service games, with 76% of points won on first serve. A balanced match that Muchova managed to turn at the key moments, saving a set point from Mboko in the second set and closing the tiebreak with a mastery of short points that made the difference.

WHAT'S ON TODAY:

• Rybakina vs Pegula (1:00 PM local, 7:00 PM CET) — WTA Quarterfinals, ninth head-to-head meeting with Rybakina leading 5-3 and winner of their last four encounters. The Kazakh hasn't dropped a set in the tournament and has conceded only one break in her entire run, but Pegula always has extra motivation at home.
• Landaluce vs Lehecka (3:00 PM local, 9:00 PM CET) — ATP Quarterfinals, the twenty-year-old qualifier against the 21st seed who just eliminated Fritz. Landaluce has the lowest ranking among quarterfinalists since 1994, Lehecka is coming off the best match of his tournament. A quarterfinal that looks wide open on paper.
• Sabalenka vs Baptiste (7:00 PM local, 1:00 AM CET) — WTA Quarterfinals, the world number one against the unseeded American. Sabalenka is 20-1 in 2026 and has reached fifteen consecutive WTA quarterfinals. Baptiste is at the best result of her career at a Masters 1000.
• Paul vs Fils (8:30 PM local, 2:30 AM CET) — ATP Quarterfinals, the American coming off a 6-1 6-3 win over Etcheverry against the Frenchman who eliminated Vacherot in three sets. Two players hitting form at the right time who find themselves in a suddenly wide-open section of the draw.

Further reading

• Sinner still in 1000 mode: beats Michelsen and reaches the quarterfinals
• Landaluce saves match point to stun Korda, dedicates win to late grandmother
• Lehecka foils Fritz with third-set masterclass
• Gauff digs deep to beat Bencic, reaches first Miami semifinal
• Lehecka and Landaluce tear up the top half as Miami loses its last top-ten seed

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast