Zverev makes German history in Miami; Fritz powers through

Alexander Zverev made history on Saturday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where he took the sole lead for ATP Masters 1000 wins by a German man.

The top seed produced a clinical performance to ease past Jacob Fearnley 6-2, 6-4 and reach the third round in Miami. Zverev suffered a disappointing first-round loss to Tallon Griekspoor in Indian Wells, but made amends with a ruthless 74-minute display to improve to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fearnley.

"I'm generally happy with my level today," said Zverev, the 2018 Miami finalist. "In Indian Wells it was very different, so I hope I can continue playing this way and have a great week here."

A special milestone 🥇@AlexZverev becomes the top German player with the most ATP Masters 1000 victories! @MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/QHqN6lLo0c

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 22, 2025

With his 145th Masters 1000 win, Zverev passed Tommy Haas (144) for the most recorded by a German player since the series’ introduction in 1990. The World No. 2 will next face Jordan Thompson, who powered past Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(4), 7-6(1).

German ATP Masters 1000 Win Leaders

Although Zverev was clinical from the baseline, he dominated on serve during the second-round clash. The 27-year-old missed just five of his 47 first serves, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and saved both break points he faced. In his on-court interview, Zverev was quick to point out the marked improvement he has made in that area of his game in recent times.

“I have generally been serving badly, especially after the Australian Open,” added Zverev, who reached his third major final at this January's Australian Open. “It’s a shot I’ve worked on since Indian Wells, I had more than two weeks since I lost early there… Of course I’m happy with the win today, but hopefully this is just the start of the tournament, and hopefully I can go deep here.”

The No. 83 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fearnley’s recent rise has been underpinned by his aggressive style, which is built around his booming forehand. Yet the Briton was unable to impose his approach against Zverev, who dictated from the baseline, outhitting Fearnley 26 winners to 10.

Third seed Taylor Fritz kick-started his Miami campaign with a well-earned 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Lorenzo Sonego, improving to 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry. The American No. 1 kept his composure in a gruelling eighth game in the second set, in which he let slip five break points before converting and going on to hold serve for the one-hour, 47-minute win.

“It’s huge [because] when you start blowing those [break] opportunities, it almost gets in your head,” said Fritz, who improved to 11-5 in 2025. “He had no break points and you feel like he would get one and break you, matches always happen like that, but credit to him. He didn’t miss a first serve when he was down in a game…”

Fritz will face Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in the third round. Shapovalov edged qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3).