Daniil Medvedev closes in on No. 1 ranking; Naomi Osaka to Miami semis
Medvedev won 11 of the remaining 13 points in the set against Jenson Brooksby
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Daniil Medvedev is one win away from returning to No. 1. And Naomi Osaka is two wins away from being a tournament champion again.
Shaking off a slow start, the top-seeded Medvedev reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday by defeating Jenson Brooksby of the U.S. 7-5, 6-1.
Medvedev has yet to drop a set in his three Miami matches. He’ll face No. 8 seed and defending Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz in the quarters — and if Medvedev prevails there, he’ll be assured of supplanting Novak Djokovic and returning to No. 1 in the world.
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"I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to say, ‘Yeah, I’m the best,’" Medvedev said.
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Daniil Medvedev of Russia returns a shot from Jenson Brooksby, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The computer might say it for him soon enough. The Russian held the No. 1 ranking briefly, lost it to Djokovic again about a week ago and is now closing in on capturing it again.
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Brooksby jumped out to an immediate lead, breaking Medvedev’s first service game and wound up serving for the first set — two points away at 5-4, 30-15.
It was all Medvedev from there.
Medvedev won 11 of the remaining 13 points in the set, breaking Brooksby to tie it up, holding at love for 6-5 and then breaking again to finish off the 7-5 win. The second set was never in doubt, with Medvedev running out to a 3-0 lead and winning 16 of the 19 points played on his serve.
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"Jenson has the potential to be a top player," Medvedev said. "When you say top, you never know — No. 1, No. 3 or No. 10 — but he’s a really good player and I think he’s playing better than his ranking."
Hurkacz prevailed over Harris 7-6 (3), 6-2 and improved to 11-1 all-time in Miami.
No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany and No. 6 Casper Ruud of Norway will meet in another quarterfinal. Zverev beat Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 6-4, 6-4, while Ruud ousted 10th-seeded Cameron Norrie of Britain 6-3, 6-4.
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No. 9 Jannik Sinner of Italy also advanced, beating Nick Kyrgios of Australia 7-6 (3), 6-3. Kyrgios was docked a point, and then a game, for outbursts.
Sinner will play Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in the quarterfinals. Cerundolo beat No. 28 Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3) on Tuesday — avenging Tiafoe's win in the third round over his brother, Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
And the fourth men's quarterfinal will see No. 14 Carlos Alcaraz against unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic — both of whom pulled off upsets Tuesday. Alcaraz beat No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-3. Kecmanovic ousted No. 13 Taylor Fritz in the nightcap, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
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In women's quarterfinal play, the unseeded Osaka — who hasn't won a tournament since the 2021 Australian Open — made quick work of No. 9 Danielle Collins of the U.S. The former world No. 1 needed only an hour to overpower Collins 6-2, 6-1 and make the Miami semifinals for the first time.
"This is my childhood tournament and I would love to win here," said Osaka, who spent part of her youth living in South Florida. "I've got to take it one round at a time."
Collins — who has been dealing with neck pain — needed a medical timeout during the match.
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"She's a fighter," Osaka said. "She fought through the match."
Next up for Osaka: No. 22 Belinda Bencic, who, like Osaka, continued her roll through the tournament.
Bencic hasn't faced a seeded player yet and hasn't come close to dropping a set, making the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Daria Saville.
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Bencic has won 48 of the 65 games she's played in the tournament.
"I’m really happy I reached a great result here," Bencic said. "Everything else is a bonus."