World No. 60 Tomas Machac stunned fifth seed Andrey Rublev, earning a 6-4, 6-4 victory after 66 minutes, sealing his ticket to the third round at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Friday.
In his on-court interview, Machac said: “It’s tough to feel emotions now after a long day. I played very well, and I’m super happy to get the win.”
One of only two men’s singles matches completed on Friday due to inclement weather disrupting play for nearly six hours in Miami saw the 23-year-old from Czechia claiming the biggest win of his career by stunning Rublev in his opening match at the Masters 1000 event.
The Open 13 quarterfinalist advanced to the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time on his debut at the event, continuing his run of form.
The first meeting between the players at tour level took place on Court Butch Buchholz under windy conditions during a dry two-hour window, completing eight matches between women’s and men’s action in Miami Gardens.
Sharp behind his serve from the onset, the unseeded player converted his first break point in the fifth game of the opener with a forehand forcing short, inching ahead at 3-2.
Building upon his momentum, Daniel Vacek’s pupil held on to his advantage, marching to wrap up the first set 6-4 in just 29 minutes.
Under pressure, the 15-time ATP titlist failed to find solutions against his opponent, who broke in the second game and held to lead 3-1.
Then, Rublev regrouped, forcing Machac to fight off a late challenge by saving a break point in the 10th game to seal a straightforward win.
Moreover, he struck 17 winners, committing eight unforced errors compared to the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 champion 16 and 5, respectively.
In addition, he won 86 percent of the first serve points as 3 of 3 net approaches, fending off all two break points he faced.
Next, he will face three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray or 29th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
The contest between the Scot and the Argentine player was suspended at 3-3 in the first set due to the rain and rescheduled for Saturday.