MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Third-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the Miami Open on Monday, the Greek’s first on-court action after a bye and walkover in the opening rounds.
Tsitsipas had 12 aces in his first victory since an opening-round win in Rotterdam over Emil Ruusuvuori in mid-February. He ran his record to 3-0 against Garin, who was attempting to become the first Chilean player to reach the fourth round in Miami since Fernando Gonzalez in 2010.
After losing the first set, Garin won eight straight points late in the second to force a decisive third. Tsitsipas had a critical break at 4-all in the final set and advanced.
Tsitsipas, who withdrew from Acapulco due to a shoulder injury and lost in the opening round in Indian Wells, overcame 21 unforced errors in his first match of the tournament.
“I was waiting for a very long time to get out and play,” Tsitsipas said, according to the ATP Tour website. “It has almost felt like a vacation this past week, staying in Miami. I’m glad I got started. It was a difficult match against an opponent who has played good tennis against good opponents in the past.
“I am happy with the way things turned around and my confidence towards the end. I had an eye-on-the-prize attitude and it was effective with how I played in the last game when he was serving.”
Tsitsipas will take on Karen Khachanov, who eased past Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-4, in a round-of-16 match on Tuesday.
In other action, Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina surprised sixth-ranked and fifth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 6-2, 7-5. Cerundolo, a semifinalist in Miami last year, has faced Auger-Aliassime in third-round matches of every ATP Masters 1000 or Grand Slam event this year – all won by the Canadian.
Cerundolo said he fed off the energy of the crowd.
“Super happy to get another top-10 win, another important win for me,” he said. “I think I played really good from beginning to end. Super nice to play here. A lot of Argentinian, Latin people. … Last year was amazing. So I’m really excited to be in the round of 16 again and try to keep winning.”
Cerundolo advanced to face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over No. 12 seed Frances Tiafoe in one of the night matches slowed by a nearly two-hour rain delay.
American Chris Eubanks also endured the nearly two-hour delay on the way to a milestone win over Frenchman Gregoire Barrere 6-3, 7-6 (9). He rallied from a 2-6 deficit in the second set and piled up a 12-1 edge in aces in the win. With the victory, the 26-year-old Eubanks, a two-time All-American at Georgia Tech, was assured of moving into the top 100 when the new rankings are released Monday.
Also on Monday, Quentin Halys of France eliminated American Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (7), 6-3. Halys will face fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who advanced in a walkover. Adrian Mannarino of France beat Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 7-6 (7), 7-6 (7) and will take on Eubanks on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.