Frances Tiafoe battles Jannik Sinner in Miami QF showdown, escapes | ATP Tour

match report

Tiafoe escapes late in Miami QF showdown, Zverev wins in two tiebreaks

Tiafoe’s emotional week continues

March 25, 2026

After saving two match points to defeat defending champion Jakub Mencic on Monday, Frances Tiafoe moved into a 4-4 0/40 match against Terrence Atman in the final of the Miami Open hosted by ITAU on Tuesday night.

But by being “on the field” again, the American shook things off and prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to advance to the ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals for the fifth time and his first since Cincinnati in 2024.

“I did a lot to make myself uncomfortable and I put myself in situations like this a lot,” Tiafoe said of his subsequent escape. “It’s like when you do a series of sprints, you don’t think about the 15 sprints you have to do. You think about the sprints ahead. That’s where I was.

“Down 0/40, worry 0/40, down 15/40, worry 15/40, etc. Ultimately, just where your feet are.”

The win set up Tiafoe, who holds a Lexus ATP head-to-head record of 1-4 against the Italian, to face Yannick Sinner at home in the quarter-finals.

While Tiafoe wasn’t excited about his match against Altman and knew he needed to play better against the PIF ATP No. 2 player, he was pleased with his ability to get results. “Obviously, I’m a little emotionally drained from yesterday,” he said. “Physically I feel good, but more so emotionally…but I still win anyway. No one cares.”

Alexander Zverev ended Tuesday’s action with a 7-6(4), 7-6(1) victory over Quentin Halys. The 2018 Miami finalist has reached the quarterfinals or better in six of his past seven ATP Masters 1000 events; he also reached the quarterfinals for the second time in the same season at Indian Wells and Miami (2024).

By defeating the No. 111 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, the German extended his winning streak against players outside the top 100 to 16 matches, stretching back to 2024.

Zverev won for the second time in three Miami matches without facing a break point, according to Infosys ATP Statistics: “It was a very effective shot and I hope it continues to work,” he said of his booming serve after hitting 16 aces. “Today, both of us were serving big. I didn’t have many break opportunities.”

Entering the quarterfinals for the fifth time in Miami 👏@miamiopen | #miamiopen | @AlexZverev pic.twitter.com/a69phqhUEy

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 25, 2026

The German had six break opportunities in the second set – four at 5-5 in the first set and two double match points at 5-4 in the second. While he couldn’t convert against Harris’ strong serve, he made up for it by taking early leads in both tiebreaks.

Zverev’s next opponent is Francisco Cerundolo, a five-time Miami quarterfinalist who defeated Hugo Humbert 6-4, 6-3.