Tsitsipas sealed the first set with the match's first break in a six-deuce game, claiming his reward for consistent return pressure throughout the set.
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At the 2022 Miami Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas found his stride in a dominant third set against J.J. Wolf on Saturday night, and it was more of the same against Alex de Minaur on Tuesday. The Greek is now 8-0 in their ATP rivalry, with two straight-sets victories this season. The crux of the 90-minute tussle was a five-game stretch that spanned both sets in a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
“I was able to execute very well today,” said Tsitsipas. “There were a few moments where I had to fight a little bit and show my inner strength. He fought, as always, and I was very patient. I was trying to focus game after game on how I can open the court and come in.”
Tsitsipas sealed the first set with the match’s first break in a six-deuce game, claiming his reward for consistent return pressure throughout the set. Early in the second set, De Minaur fought back to create three break points, but Tsitsipas held firm and went up 3-1 to take control. In his final three service games, the Greek dropped only one point.
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From the start of the match, the third seed was locked in on his backhand return, guiding several players close to the sidelines to take the initiative and create three early break points, which De Minaur fought off with aggressive play.
On Tuesday, Daniil Medvedev defeated Pedro Martinez of Spain 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round of the Miami Open. With a semi-final run in Miami, the 26-year-old will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings, which he lost two weeks ago. Medvedev has won 12 of his 13 tour-level titles on hard courts, including the victory over Martinez, which was his 178th win on the surface since 2018, 38 more than any other player on Tour during the same time period.
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“I just felt like I had to be more consistent, and the more consistent one today would win,” he said. “I managed to just make a few less errors at important moments, serve even better, and it was a small margin but I managed to win and I’m really happy.”
Martinez fought valiantly, and his run to the third round in Miami demonstrated the talent that led to his first ATP Tour title in Santiago in February. The Spaniard will now turn his attention to the clay-court season, where he hopes to improve on his current career-high ranking of 47.
