Lehecka and Landaluce tear up the top half as Miami Open loses its last top-ten seed
Miami keeps producing the extraordinary. Qualifier Martín Landaluce saved a match point to beat Korda and reach his first Masters quarter-final, dedicating the win to his late grandmother. Lehecka then eliminated the last top-ten seed in the upper half by beating Fritz. The top half of this draw no longer has a player seeded above No. 21.
Martin Landaluce, Miami 2026 | © PsNewz
Czech seed No. 21 Jiri Lehecka eliminated the last top-ten seed in the upper half of the draw by defeating American seed No. 6 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 in the fourth round of the Miami Open presented by Itau on Tuesday, setting up a quarter-final against qualifier Martín Landaluce of Spain – who hours earlier had produced the match of the day, saving a match point to beat American seed No. 32 Sebastian Korda 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 in a two-hour, 27-minute thriller.
The top half of the draw now has no seeded player above No. 21 standing. In the space of a week, Alcaraz (No.1), De Minaur (No.5), Fritz, Bublik (No.10) and Ruud (No.11) have all been eliminated, leaving a quarter-final draw that would have been unthinkable at the start of the fortnight – not even taking about Musetti’s (No.4) withdrawal.
Lehecka ends Fritz’s run
Lehecka, ranked No. 22, was too consistent for a Fritz who had entered the match carrying a right knee issue and was unable to impose his customary aggression. The Czech broke in the opening set, was pegged back in a tight second-set tiebreak, then dominated the decider to close out the match and reach his third Masters 1000 quarter-final – his first since Madrid in 2024.
He came in 1-4 in the head-to-head against Fritz but has now beaten the American in their last two meetings. It was also his tenth career win over a top-ten opponent.
Fritz, who had been quietly solid this week with wins over Botic van de Zandschulp and Reilly Opelka, was undone by a player in better physical condition and better form. The American’s exit leaves the upper half entirely without top-ten representation.
Landaluce, and a moment for his grandmother
Earlier on Tuesday, Landaluce completed the more dramatic of the day’s two matches. The 20-year-old, ranked No. 151, lost the opening set comprehensively before mounting a recovery that will define his career for years to come. At 5-6 in the second-set tiebreak, with Korda one point from victory, Landaluce stepped in and cracked a crossed backhand winner on the return to save the match point. He took the tiebreak 8-6, then raced to a 3-0 lead in the third and held his nerve despite Korda – who needed two medical timeouts in the decider for a lower back problem – threatening to pull back.
“My grandmother,” Landaluce said when asked what was on his mind after claiming the win. “She would have been 101 last week, and she passed away a few months ago. I wanted to give her the victory. »
Landaluce is the lowest-ranked player to reach the men’s singles quarter-final at the Miami Open since Jim Grabb, ranked No. 185, in 1994. He arrived in Miami without a tour-level win in 2026 and has now beaten six consecutive opponents including seed No. 17 Luciano Darderi, seed No. 14 Karen Khachanov and, in the previous round, Korda himself – the man who had just toppled world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. A win over Lehecka in the quarter-final would take Landaluce inside the top 100 for the first time.
“My grandmother,” Landaluce said when asked what was on his mind after claiming the win. “She would have been 101 last week, and she passed away a few months ago. I wanted to give her the victory. » « It means everything,” Landaluce added of his Miami run. “I’m playing really good this week. I knew I had to do it because there are unbelievable players here. I’m super happy to be here playing with these amazing players.”
Korda, who had beaten Alcaraz in the third round for the biggest win of his career, was unable to reproduce that level. A lower back problem that worsened through the third set contributed to his exit, but Landaluce deserved full credit for a performance that showed maturity far beyond his ranking.
