Two-time Grand Slam champions Stan Wawrinka crashed out of the Miami Open yesterday while Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori was tested but advanced.
Swiss fourth seed Wawrinka, who has won titles this year at Chennai and Dubai, was ousted by Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-3.
“I just tried to keep the pressure on him,” said Kuznetsov, who fired 23 winners and seven aces to advance in 79 minutes.
Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open champion, managed only 16 winners against 37 unforced errors and went 0-for-8 on break point chances.
Kuznetsov, ranked a career-best 51st, avenged a third-round loss to Wawrinka earlier this month at Indian Wells and made the Swiss his highest-ranked beaten foe, surpassing seventh-rated Spaniard David Ferrer from the second round of Wimbledon in 2014.
Spanish fifth seed Rafael Nadal, a four-time finalist but never a champion at Miami, is now the top seed in his quarter of the draw. The 14-time Grand Slam champion opened later against Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 94th-ranked Damir Dzumhur.
Nishikori advanced to the third round by defeating 107th-ranked French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).
The 26-year-old Asian star, runner-up at the 2014 US Open and coming off a fourth consecutive title last month at Memphis, denied the Frenchman on two set points in the ninth game of the second set and took four of the last five points in the tie-breaker to win after 88 minutes.
“He played much better in the second set,” Nishikori said. “I tried to be aggressive. I knew I had to somehow give him some pressure. I stayed confident even a break down and had a good win.”
Next up for Nishikori, who could meet Britain’s Andy Murray in a quarter-final, is Ukraine’s 27th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Italy’s Andreas Seppi.
Nishikori broke twice at the start to seize a 4-0 lead and took the first set in 29 minutes, but Herbert hit a forehand crosscourt winner to break Nishikori for a 3-1 lead in the second.
Herbert served for the set up 5-3 but squandered two set points, Nishikori hitting a forehand lob winner and Herbert sending a backhand wide before the Frenchman double faulted away a break.
In the tie-breaker, Nishikori sent a backhand long to level matters at 3-3 but dominated from there and finished on a service winner.
Canadian 12th seed Milos Raonic, coming off a runner-up showing at Indian Wells, beat American Denis Kudla 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. He next faces US 22nd seed Jack Sock, who advanced 6-2, 3-2 when Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky retired.
On Friday top-ranked Novak Djokovic made a strong start Friday in his quest for a third consecutive Miami title while Roger Federer’s expected return from a two-month layoff was over before it started.
Djokovic, seeking his sixth Miami crown overall and the first “three-peat” since Andre Agassi in 2001-2003, opened by defeating Britain’s 87th-ranked Kyle Edmund 6-3, 6-3 in the ATP and WTA hardcourt event.
“I had a solid performance,” Djokovic said. “I started with the right intensity and good focus. I had slight ups and downs. I’m pleased. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Djokovic, who captured his 11th Grand Slam singles crown at the Australian Open two months ago, will face Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the third round Sunday as he tries to add to a 2016 trophy haul that also includes Doha and Indian Wells.
The 28-year-old Serbian is 23-1 this year and has 25 of his past 26 Miami matches, including 11 in a row. But third-ranked Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam singles champion who underwent left knee surgery last month, withdrew from the tournament just hours before his match, citing a stomach virus.
“I have not felt great for a few days and unfortunately it got worse in the last 24 hours,” Federer said. “I was really excited to have my comeback in Miami but I am in no condition to play. I tried to warm up this morning but it was clear that I could not compete.”
The 34-year-old Swiss legend missed the event for the third time in four years. He won at Miami in 2005 and 2006 but has not reached the final since.
Federer has not played since losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals two months ago. The next morning, Federer suffered a torn meniscus while preparing to bathe his children. Federer had not expected to be ready in time to play at Miami but recovered well from the operation and said he was excited for the opportunity.
“It’s good it’s a stomach problem and not the knee, so it’s not a big deal,” said long-time Federer rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer was replaced by 58th-ranked lucky loser Horacio Zeballos, who made the most of his chance by defeating Argentine compatriot Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 6-4.
“I was sitting in the locker room playing chess and watching others playing when they told us the news. I was really happy,” said Zeballos.