Korda topples Albot, Musetti mows through Mmoh in Miami opener

The Miami Open kicked off in earnest on Thursday as several of the lower-ranked ATP players battled in first round action, with Sebastian Korda being one of the more notable victors.

The American was making his debut in Miami, and made short work of Romanian Radu Albot with a 6-3 6-0 victory. Despite being ranked 10 spots lower than the 77th-ranked Albot, Korda was clearly the better player, breaking his opponent on four occasions while hitting 24 winners.

Korda will face 10th seed Fabio Fognini in the second round, and the Italian also happens to be his opponent in the doubles event. The American will be teaming with compatriot Michael Mmoh to face Fognini and Maximo Gonzalez.

Read also

2021 ATP Miami Open Prize Money with $3,343,785 to be won

Coincidentally, Mmoh did not fare as well as his doubles partner in his opening singles match. He faced rising star Lorenzo Musetti, who prevailed 6-4 6-4 after an hour and 38 minutes.

Musetti applied relentless pressure to his American opponent, breaking his serve on three of 13 occasions. Although neither man had a high first serve percentage, it was Musetti who was more consistent with his second serve points, winning 76% of them compared to only 48% for Mmoh.

The Italian next faces erratic Frenchman Benoit Paire in the second round, with the duo having never met on the ATP circuit.

Click here for live scores and results from Miami.

ATP Tour on Twitter: "Musetti magic in Miami 😍 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti is into the #MiamiOpen 2R after defeating Mmoh 6-4, 6-4. https://t.co/ae03xdgjbg" / Twitter