Miami shocker: Four Indian Wells semi-finalists eliminated in opening round – including Draper and Alcaraz

The 2025 Miami Open witnessed a rare occurrence on the ATP circuit: the four semi-finalists from the recent Indian Wells Masters 1000 —Jack Draper, Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev— were all eliminated in their opening matches in Miami.

This is only the second time since the format's introduction in 1990 that something similar has happened, the first being between Montreal and Cincinnati in 2022.

Jack Draper, Indian Wells champion after defeating Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2 in the final, arrived in Miami with high expectations and the chance to achieve the "Sunshine Double." However, in his debut, he was stunned by young Czech Jakub Mensik, who prevailed in two consecutive tiebreaks, 7-6(2), 7-6(3). The match was marked by an interruption due to a controversial decision by the organisers, which drew boos from the crowd and disrupted the game’s flow.

Holger Rune, Indian Wells finalist, also suffered an early exit in Miami, falling to local player Reilly Opelka. The Dane, who had displayed a high level of play by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semi-finals, couldn’t maintain his form and lost his opening match.

Carlos Alcaraz, world No. 3 and Indian Wells champion in 2023 and 2024, was looking for redemption after his recent semi-final loss to Draper. However, he was eliminated in his Miami debut by Belgian David Goffin, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. This result was a significant blow for the Spaniard, who had maintained a strong record at Indian Wells and Miami in previous years.

Daniil Medvedev, who had fallen to Rune in the Indian Wells semi-finals, was also shocked in his Miami opener, losing 2-6, 3-6 to Spain’s Jaume Munar. This adds to a turbulent year for the Russian, who hasn’t reached a final in over a year and hasn’t won a title since the 2023 Rome Open.

The last time this happened was at the 2022 Cincinnati Open, following an unusual Canadian Open. The absences of Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, along with early exits from Alcaraz and Medvedev, left the draw wide open. That year’s semi-finals featured Hubert Hurkacz (8th) against Casper Ruud (4th) — with the Pole prevailing — and Pablo Carreño Busta (No. 18) facing Daniel Evans (No. 35), with the Spaniard eventually claiming the title. Just days later, all four players were eliminated in their Cincinnati Open debuts.