Daniil Medvedev failed to take the chance to come out of the Sunshine Swing with the title of best male tennis player in the world after defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open. The Russian lost in straight sets to the defending champion, pointing to “garbage” tennis balls as part of the reason for his defeat.
His loss in the last eight of the competition follows on from a shock third round defeat at the Indian Wells Masters earlier this month. Both tournaments were winnable for Medvedev, as the top seed, but he was unable to launch much of an assault on either title.
It means a missed opportunity for the Russian, as his rival for the top spot in the rankings was absent for both competitions. Novak Djokovic cannot enter the US due to rules for unvaccinated travellers, but Medvedev could not take advantage of the Serbian being unable to score any ranking points over the two tournaments.
His defeat in the Miami quarter-finals on Thursday saw him come up against the defending champion and a man who has excelled on US soil during his career. Hurkacz was dominant once again, even if he did make some uncharacteristic mistakes, on the way to a 7-6(7), 6-3 victory.
JUST IN: Novak Djokovic confirmed to play four major tournaments this year
Meanwhile, victory for Hurkacz took his career record for matches played in the US to 38-16. Compared to his figures for tournaments played everywhere else, 60-67, it is clear to see that the Pole enjoys the conditions across the Atlantic.
“My return was pretty crucial,” he said after the match. “I was aiming to make a lot of returns and also I was able to make a lot of free points on my serve. That was important because playing rallies with Daniil is fun but they get long so you want some free points!”
After learning he would meet either teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz or the unseeded giant-killer Miomir Kecmanovic in the next round, Hurkacz added: “[The conditions were] okay for me. I spend a lot of time in Florida so I’m used to the humidity. The conditions favoured me today.”
