Spain’s Martin Landaluce produced the biggest surprise at the Miami Open, saving a match point and rallying past Sebastian Korda 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals in Miami. The 20-year-old qualifier entered the day ranked No. 151 in the world, and ATP Tour said he became the lowest-ranked men’s quarterfinalist at the tournament since 1994. It was another step in a breakout run for the Spaniard, who had already knocked out Karen Khachanov earlier in the tournament and is now one of the most unexpected names left alive in the draw.
For us here in Costa Rica, Landaluce’s win also stood out because it came from a Spanish-speaking player in a day that again offered a Latin flavor in South Florida. Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo kept his Miami run going with a 6-4, 6-3 win over France’s Ugo Humbert, pushing himself into the quarterfinals and continuing what has become one of the steadiest Latin American performances of the event. Cerúndolo had already made headlines a day earlier by upsetting Daniil Medvedev, and he backed that up Tuesday with another composed performance.
Not every Latin player advanced. Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry saw his singles run end in a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Tommy Paul, a result that left Cerúndolo as the main Latin American standard-bearer still standing in the men’s singles draw at the end of the day. In doubles, there was better news for Spanish-Argentine pairing Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, who beat Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti 6-4, 7-6(6) to reach the quarterfinals, adding another Spanish-language presence to the late stages of the tournament.
The rest of Tuesday’s action helped clarify the shape of the tournament. Jannik Sinner stayed on course for a possible Sunshine Double by beating Alex Michelsen 7-5, 7-6(4), recovering from a 5-2 deficit in the second set to move into the quarterfinals. Reuters noted that Sinner remains in position to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to win both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. Alexander Zverev also advanced with a straight-sets win over Quentin Halys, while Jiri Lehecka beat Taylor Fritz and Arthur Fils got past Valentin Vacherot in three sets.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff reached her first Miami Open semifinal by beating Belinda Bencic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, and Karolina Muchova joined her in the last four with a 7-5, 7-6(5) win over Victoria Mboko. Those results gave the women’s draw a strong semifinal storyline, while the men’s side was left with a different kind of intrigue after Landaluce’s upset.
By the end of the day, Miami had a little of everything: a breakout upset from a Spanish qualifier, another important win from Cerúndolo, and a tournament field that now feels tighter and more open at the same time. Sinner is still the biggest favorite left in the men’s draw, but Landaluce’s run changed the mood of the day and gave the event one of its most memorable stories so far.
