Showtime Alcaraz ousts Musetti; Dimitrov buries his Miami 'kryptonite'

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz produced a commanding victory Tuesday when he raced past 23rd seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Spaniard extended his winning streak to nine matches with a heavy-hitting performance at Hard Rock Stadium, where he is aiming to become the first man to claim the ‘Sunshine Double’ since Roger Federer in 2017.

Alcaraz pressured Musetti with his firepower, striking vicious returns from various positions before rushing the Italian in baseline rallies. A semi-finalist last year in Miami, Alcaraz’s court coverage forced Musetti to target narrow openings, drawing him into unforced errors.

“I know that his style is playing from the back with spin. I tried to not let him feel comfortable on the court,” said Alcaraz, who won 18 of his 22 net points. “I tried to play my game, play aggressive with my shots, go to the net, drop shots, my style. I think I did pretty well and I’m really happy with my performance.”

The World No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings put on a highlight reel of electric shotmaking, from precise drop shots, perfect lobs and even a tweener, though Musetti won that specific point — which included his own shot between the legs in a point of the year contender.

Alcaraz struck 23 winners and won 63 per cent of his second-serve return points to improve to 3-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Musetti, who claimed their first meeting in the 2022 Hamburg final.

Into the Miami quarter-finals for the third consecutive year, Alcaraz is playing his best tennis of the season this month. The two-time major champion lifted the Indian Wells trophy nine days ago, his first title since Wimbledon last year.

"I don't know if this is the best game that I'm playing, but without a doubt it's the best feeling," Alcaraz said. "I'm feeling great on the court. I'm moving great, not injured or thinking about the ankle [injury] anymore. I think [this is] the best feeling since last summer."

The 20-year-old is eyeing his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title and second in south Florida (2022). Alcaraz will next meet eighth seed 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who rallied past eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). 

Dimitrov edged Hurkacz in a dramatic third-set tie-break in which the Pole was called for touching the net in a pivotal moment. Stretched wide reacting to a powerful second-serve up the T, Dimitrov just managed to carry his return over the net. Charging to reach the unintended drop shot, Hurkacz slid into the shot and his left foot grazed the base of the net, giving Dimitrov the mini-break for 2/3.

The Bulgarian, who at No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings is eyeing a return to the Top 10 for the first time since 2018, completed his set of nine ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final appearances with the win.

"Finally! I knew the last one was missing honestly. It's been like a kryptonite for me, this tournament,” Dimitrov said. “It was a very tough battle today. Hubi is such an amazing guy. I think above all I was just happy that I could stay in the match and have such a good run. He's such a tricky competitor, so crafty around the court. I think physically we were both going at each other very hard today. It was a pleasant match honestly to play."

Looking ahead to his battle with Alcaraz, whom he defeated in three sets when they last played in Shanghai last year, Dimitrov said: "I'm looking forward to the match. Everyone wants to challenge the best of the world. Clearly he's been playing outstanding tennis, but so am I.

“I've been very consistent on a lot of ends. I think if I clean up my game a little bit it can be very interesting. I'm excited because these are the types of matches I want to play. First time in the quarter-finals here, I think it gives you an extra boost."

Hungarian Fabian Marozsan improved to 4-1 against Top 10 players and advanced to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final (also Shanghai 2023) when he upset ninth seed Alex de Minaur 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 under lights on Grandstand court.

The 24-year-old, who has surged from No. 57 to No. 38 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings this fortnight, has reached the fourth round or better in four career starts at the Masters 1000 level, a record that includes an upset of Carlos Alcaraz last year in Rome.

He will face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. The German eliminated Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-4. A victory is projected to take Marozsan inside the Top 30 and set a possible rematch with Alcaraz in the semi-finals.

De Minaur was looking to become the first player to reach 20 wins this season.

Zverev has now reached back-to-back quarter-finals after advancing to the last eight at Indian Wells. After defeating Khachanov in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics gold medal match, Zverev will continue his pursuit of a first Masters 1000 title since Cincinnati in 2021.