ATP Miami Open Day Seven Round-Up | Jannik Sinner moves on while Korda and Fritz crash out

The Miami Open round of 16 produced a reshaped ATP draw on day six, with Martín Landaluce delivering the standout upset against Sebastian Korda, Jiří Lehecka ending Taylor Fritz’s run, and Jannik Sinner navigating a tight test from Alex Michelsen. Frances Tiafoe and Arthur Fils also moved through, though by very different routes, in a day defined less by one-sided scorelines than by tactical corrections inside volatile matches.

The results altered the balance of the quarterfinal field. Sinner continued to look like the reference point in the section despite periods of pressure, while Fritz’s exit removed one of the leading American contenders. Korda’s loss also opened space in that half of the draw, and both Tiafoe and Fils advanced by managing momentum swings rather than controlling their matches from start to finish.

Korda appeared to be moving toward a routine win after controlling the opening set with cleaner first-strike tennis and a four-game run that exposed the gap between his early ball-striking and Landaluce’s slower start. The American served with authority, protected his own service games comfortably and kept the Spaniard from establishing sustained baseline pressure through the first set and much of the second.

The match changed when Landaluce extended exchanges and made Korda hit under greater physical and tactical strain. Korda’s inability to close the second set, despite reaching match point in the tie-break, shifted the balance. The back issue that required treatment before the third set became part of the match dynamic, but Landaluce still had to impose himself to take advantage. He did that by stepping in early in the decider, breaking quickly and then holding his nerve once Korda briefly recovered one of the breaks.

The numbers reflected a match that turned on second-serve pressure and key moments rather than overall dominance. Korda hit 11 aces and won 81% of first-serve points, but he saved none of the two break points he faced. Landaluce double-faulted seven times, yet he stayed competitive enough in return games to capitalise when Korda’s level dipped. The Spaniard’s breakthrough win sends him into the quarterfinals, where the significance is not only the result itself but the opening it creates in this section of the draw.

Lehecka built the match on a stable service platform and an ability to control the first strike in neutral conditions. The opening set was decided by one break, but the Czech had already shown the cleaner structure in his service games, absorbing Fritz’s pace without giving away cheap errors and closing the set without allowing the American any late opening.

Fritz did respond well in the second set, particularly in the tie-break, where he took control early with mini-breaks and finally converted one of the tighter phases of the match. But Lehecka regained the initiative at the start of the decider. The adjustment was not dramatic; it was more about re-establishing depth and forcing Fritz to defend from less comfortable court positions. Once Lehecka moved a break ahead, Fritz could no longer protect his service games with the same certainty and the match quickly tilted away from him.

The Czech’s statistical profile explains why the third set opened up. He did not face a break of serve all match, saving all five break points against him, and held all 15 of his service games. Fritz won 76% of first-serve points, a solid figure on paper, but his 86% hold rate was not enough against an opponent who offered no openings. Lehecka also delivered 10 aces without a double fault and now advances to face Martín Landaluce in a quarterfinal that few would have predicted at the start of the day.

For long stretches this was a serve-led contest in which Michelsen matched Sinner more effectively than the final score suggests. The American served well through the first set and kept return points scarce on both sides, but Sinner’s level rose in the closing stages. Once the rallies extended even slightly, the Italian was more efficient at building pressure, and that was enough to secure the late break for the opener.

The second set became more complicated. Michelsen surged into a 5-2 lead by taking advantage of a brief dip in Sinner’s first serve and by playing with more conviction off the ground. But the key shift came when Sinner broke back as Michelsen served for the set. From there, the match returned to Sinner’s preferred terms: controlled service games, fewer loose points, and a tie-break in which he quickly erased a poor start by winning six of the next seven points.

His serving performance was the clearest difference between the two players. Sinner struck 15 aces, did not double-fault once and won 91% of first-serve points, which meant Michelsen had little margin in return games. Michelsen served well enough to stay close, winning 76% of his own first-serve points, but Sinner was slightly more effective on second-serve returns and more reliable in the decisive games. He moves on to face Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals.

Fils took the first set by staying patient in a match that initially offered almost nothing on return. Vacherot’s serve, particularly the first ball, kept service games short, but Fils remained the more composed player when the first genuine opening arrived. That single break was enough to claim the opener and suggested the Frenchman was handling the match’s narrow margins better.

The second set, however, showed how little separated the two players. Vacherot protected serve well enough to push the set into a tie-break and played that breaker more cleanly, forcing a decider despite never fully controlling the match. Fils responded well in the third by staying disciplined behind his serve and waiting for a brief dip from Vacherot. Once the break came, the balance shifted back to the Frenchman, who closed out the match without allowing the momentum to swing again.

The numbers point to a contest dominated by serve but ultimately decided by second-serve performance and break-point management. Vacherot hit 19 aces and won 85% of first-serve points, yet he converted none of the three break points he earned. Fils, by contrast, held all 15 of his service games, saved every break point against him and won 67% of second-serve points, a major edge in such a tight matchup. He advances to meet Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals.

Tiafoe controlled the opening set in efficient fashion, earning a single break and protecting his own serve without facing a break point. His service patterns gave him short points, and he kept Atmane from building any rhythm on return. At that stage the match looked straightforward, with the American dictating the terms through a stable first delivery and measured baseline play.

The second set disrupted that pattern completely. Atmane won five consecutive games, attacked second serves more effectively and forced Tiafoe into a looser, more reactive stretch. Rather than carrying that instability into the decider, though, Tiafoe settled the match by returning to a simpler structure. The crucial moment came at 4-4 in the third, when he survived 0-40 on serve. That escape changed the pressure dynamic immediately, and he broke in the following game to close the door.

The match statistics underline how narrow the margin was. Both players won 76% of first-serve points, and neither established sustained control on return. Tiafoe’s edge came from managing the break-point moments better late, saving six of eight break points overall and winning the final two games after his toughest service hold of the match. He now faces Sinner in a quarterfinal that will test whether he can sustain that level of first-serve protection against a stronger returner.