Tiafoe dethrones defending champ Mensik; five Americans advance to fourth round

By Harvey Fialkov / Staff writer

MIAMI GARDENS – Frances Tiafoe wasn’t focused on becoming the first man to oust a Miami Open defending champion before the semifinals since 2018.
Rather, he was fired up to avenge Jakub Mensik’s thrashing that he absorbed in the decisive match of the 2025 second-round qualifier of Davis Cup that secured Czechia’s 3-2 victory in Delray Beach, about 10 miles from Tiafoe’s home base in Boca Raton.

It might have been the most exciting decisive tiebreak in recent Miami Open history. Tiafoe finally got vengeance on his seventh match point after fighting off two of Mensik’s, in his 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (11) victory on a packed Grandstand where the roars of the fans could be heard across the Hard Rock complex.

“Crazy match,’’ said No. 20 Tiafoe, who’s now into his fifth Miami fourth round, but first since 2022.
“Good battle, because I really wanted to win, because the last time I played him in the Davis Cup I was in such a bad place and state in the fifth rubber, and absolutely got killed by him in Delray Beach at home. So, I wanted to definitely have a better performance. And it was definitely that.”

Tiafoe makes it five American men into the fourth round of the Miami Open for the first time since seven did it in 1996. He joins Alex Michelsen, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz, the highest remaining seed in the top half of the draw since Carlos Alcaraz departed.

“When Americans are winning, tennis is in a better place,’’ Tiafoe said.

Tiafoe was up 6-3 in the third-set tiebreak after Mensik – who slammed 22 aces – double-faulted twice in a row. The two exchanged thrilling rallies and match points until the 28-year-old American closed the deal with a second-serve kicker out wide to Mensik, who floated his backhand return wide.

After the two embraced, Tiafoe ripped off his shirt, and let out a roar with a “Let’s go!”

“It’s a matter of being present,’’ said Tiafoe, a US Open semifinalist in 2022. “It doesn’t matter what was; the only thing that matters is what is. At that point I was down 7-8 and tried to play the best point I can.”

Michelsen, 21, had to overcome a boisterous Chilean crowd rooting for talented Alejandro Tabilo on intimate Court 1. With his 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, Michelsen became the third youngest man in 25 years to reach the fourth round of both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season.

“I had to do a lot of things right to win,’’ Michelsen said. “My serve got me out of a lot of trouble in the second and third and I started to play more aggressive and that got me through. It’s been great; fourth round at Indian Wells and here, so I’m going to try to keep the momentum going and see what I can do.

“American tennis is in a great spot right now. There are so many guys playing super, super well and I’m happy to be a part of that group.”

At the end of the match, Michelsen put his finger to his lips to shush some of the more fervent patriotic Chileans in the crowd.
“I had to hit the silencer,’’ he cracked.

Michelsen will draw Jannik Sinner in the third match on Stadium Tuesday after the world No. 2 outfoxed quirky Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-1, 6-4 in an evening match. Sinner is 2-0 against Michelsen with both wins coming in 2024.

He surpassed Novak Djokovic’s record with his 13^th consecutive straight-set victory (26 sets) in parts of three Masters 1000 events (Paris 2025, Indian Wells and Miami).

“It’ll be a tricky match,’’ Michelsen said. “It’s going to be something different because it hasn’t worked [previously].”
While Moutet lost, four of his French countrymen are into the fourth round, including big-serving Ugo Humbert – who won 35 of 36 first-serve points with 14 aces in his win over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko; Quentin Halys – who took out Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak; Terrence Atmane – who stunned seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime; and Arthur Fils – who plays his fourth-round match Tuesday against Valentin Vacherot – who’s from Monaco, but of course speaks French.

“We have a lot of French players in the Top 100,’’ Humbert said. “It’s real nice to have all of this positivity for French tennis. I try to do my best and they try to do their best.”

Humbert will play Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round after the Argentine with the howitzer forehand dispatched ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 on Stadium Court.

Medvedev is in the midst of a resurgent season with titles in Brisbane and Dubai, and was a finalist at Indian Wells. He was stranded in Dubai for several days because of the war in Iran and then his luggage was lost on the way to Miami.

“That’s how tennis is, one win you’re happy and one loss and you’re disappointed,’’ said Medvedev, who double-faulted on match point. “I didn’t feel anything on the court, I was missing a lot. Somehow, I got back in the match, which was a bit of a miracle. I had my chances.

“It’s good to be exhausted in a way. To be a sportsman in sports isn’t easy but at the same time some parts of life we are privileged.”
Cerundolo’s career took off with his fun-run to the Miami Open semis in 2022, which improved his No. 103 ranking to 47, and now 19.
“I love Miami,’’ Cerundolo said.

Also on Monday, third-seeded Alexander Zverev downed 37-year-old Marin Cilic (6-2, 5-7, 6-4) for the eighth consecutive time.

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