Evan King/John Pierce bounce back from edge to beat Marcelo Melo/Alexander Zverev in Miami opener | ATP Tour
doubles
King/Peers rebound from edge to stun Melo/Zverev in Miami opener
Singles stars De Minaur/Hijikata lost to Harrison/Skupski
March 23, 2026
ATP Tour
Evan King and John Pierce play Sunday in Miami.
Written by ATP Staff
Evan King and John Pierce pulled off a stunning victory at the ETA Miami Open on Sunday, defeating recent Acapulco champions Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-4 in the first round.
In a narrow contest, King and Pierce kept their cool and avoided an early defeat. After trailing 2/5 in the second set tie-break, they scored five points in a row to seal the victory, and finally secured the victory in 1 hour and 38 minutes. According to Infosys ATP statistics, the pair crucially saved five of the seven break points they faced.
Zverev aims to continue his singles campaign in Miami on Monday, when he will face Marin Cilic in the fourth round.
King and Pierce will next face third-seeded Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski. The Australian Open champions overcame the singles standout in their first match on Sunday, easing past Australia’s Alex De Minaur and Rinki Hijikata 6-2, 6-3 in 56 minutes.
In other first-round doubles action on Sunday, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos defeated Francisco Cabral and Lucas Midler 6-4, 5-7, 10-5. The top seeds next face France’s Theo Arribach and Albano Olivetti, who defeated Luke Johnson and Jan Zielinski 6-4, 7-6(2).
Fourth seeds Harry Heliovara/Henry Patten also defeated Andre Goransson/Alex Michelson 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the second round. They will next face Santiago Gonzalez and David Pell, who defeated Luciano Dadri and Fernando Romboli 7-6(3), 6-2, 10-8.
