Miami - Day 3 Thiem, Nishikori gone

It’s Day Three in the Miami Open - round two matches in the ATP and WTA draws.

Miami Open presented by Itaú - an ATP Masters 1000 category tournament, on Hard Layklold, in Miami, Florida, USA, 20-31 March 2019.

Defending champion:

John Isner (14) who defeated Alexander Zverev (4) 6-7(4) 6-4 6-

ATP second round 

Gaël Monfils withdrew from the tournament, and was replaced by lucky loser Lloyd Harris, who inherited the first round bye.

• Ilya Ivashka v Kyle Edmund (19)

Belarusian Ivashka wasn’t in great form entering Miami having lost his last two ATP tournament first round main draw matches, and before that lost in first round qualifying for the ATP events contested.

He earlier in the year had made the final of a Canberra Challenger event, but his year to date didn’t present much of a threat to Edmund, whose creditable Indian Wells performance last week ended in a round of sixteen loss to eventual finalist Federer.

Through four games, the serves of both players dictated the trend of the match and the score reflected a comfortable 2-2 without a break point in sight.

At 30-0 in game five, after a forehand winner and an ace, Ivashka let it slip, his backhand error and an Edmund forehand winner building to a double fault and break point.  An ace obliterated that one,  but another Edmund forehand created a second break chance, converted once a Belarusian backhand sailed long.  

Edmund consolidated the break, serve and forehand solid. 5-3.

Ivashka, serving to stay in the set, was in trouble at 0-30, but with help from an Edmund error, brought it back to 30-30.  An attacking point, won at the net, produced 40-30, but it fell apart for Ivashka from there,  a set point used to the max by Edmund with a forehand down the line pass.

6-3 the lead.

For five games of set two, serve was held, Edmund with more difficulty as he faced the only break point through that period, at 1-1.

Serving at 2-3 and 40-0, Ivashka had surrendered just one point on serve for the set so far, but from there it was a disaster.

A running Edmund forehand down the line, a contender for shot of the match, led to Ivashka wasting three more game points.  A break point arrived almost inevitably as did the breaking itself.

Edmund broke again when Ivashka served at 2-5 and the Brit advanced to the third round 6-3 6-2.

• Milos Raonic (12) was handed a walkover by Maximilian Marterer 
• Jérémy Chardy defeated fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon (23) 6-4 6-2
• Nikoloz Basilashvili (17) defeated Mischa Zverev 6-3 6-2
• Dusan Lajovic defeated Kei Nishikori (5) 2-6 6-2 6-3, the second big upset of the day and the tournament.  
• Federico Delbonis defeated John Millman (32) 7-5 3-6 7-6(2)
• Borna Coric (11) defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6(7) 0-6 6-2
• John Isner (7) defeated qualifier Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(2) 7-6(7)
• Nick Kyrgios (27) defeated qualifier Alexander Bublik 7-5 6-3
• Albert Ramos-Vinolas defeated Lucas Pouille (25) 4-6 6-4 6-3
• Qualifier Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Marton Fucsovics (29) 6-4 4-6 6-0
• Robin Haase defeated lucky loser Lloyd Harris 3-6 6-3 6-4
• Hubert Hurkacz defeated Dominic Thiem (3), last weeks Indian Wells title winner - the second top ten player in the men’s draw to fall today.
• Novak Djokovic (1) defeated Bernard Tomic 7-6(2) 6-2
• Roberto Bautista Agut (22) defeated Janko Tipsarevic 7-6(3) 6-4
• Fabio Fognini (15) defeated Guido Andreozzi 5-7 6-4 6-4