Aces galore as Mensik ends Draper’s Sunshine Double hopes in Miami second round

Jakub Mensik beat No 6 seed Jack Draper 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) to reach the third round of the Miami Masters at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

Mensik and Draper struggled for nearly two hours as the Czech barraged the latter with 21 aces to advance.

The Brit too hit 12 aces but Mensik prevailed on the back of 37 winners and an impressive average of 86 percent on his first-serve points, thus, ending Draper’s Sunshine Double hopes.

“Jack is playing unbelievable last couple of weeks, months, he proved that so many times,” Mensik told the press. “So, I knew that it was going to be difficult match. It’s completely different conditions here than in Indian Wells and I had already won one match, little advantage on my side and I took it like an opportunity. I’m glad that I showed the performance today.

“In the beginning he was playing really well, that showed me, you know, the form he is in. Then I actually started to play little better and it was kind of like the more and more I was playing, I felt more confident.”

Mensik, ranked No 54, will play the winner of the match between Australian Alexei Popyrin, the No 25 seed, and Russian Roman Safiullin next.

In the previous round of the Miami Open, Jakub Mensik won against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (6-4, 3-6, 6-1).

Miami Masters 1000, other second-round results (Hard Rock Stadium, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):

• Alex De Minaur vs. Yunchaokete Bu
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Frances Tiafoe
• Arthur Fils vs. Gabriel Diallo
• Matteo Berrettini vs. Hugo Gaston
• Zizou Bergs vs. Andrey Rublev
• Joao Fonseca vs. Ugo Humbert
• Holger Rune vs. Reilly Opelka
• Alexei Popyrin vs. Roman Safiullin
• Denis Shapovalov (27) beat Thiago Agustin Tirante (Q): 6-3, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3)
• Jordan Thompson beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (28): 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1)
• Tomas Machac (20) beat Matteo Arnaldi: 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
• Taylor Fritz (3) beat Lorenzo Sonego: 7-6 (2), 6-3
• Alexander Zverev (1) beat Jacob Fearnley (Q): 6-2, 6-4
• Chak Lam Coleman Wong (WC) beat Ben Shelton (13): 7-6 (3), 2-6, 7-6 (5)
• Adam Walton (LL) beat Luciano Darderi: 6-4, 6-4
• David Goffin beat Carlos Alcaraz (2): 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
• Francisco Cerundolo (23) beat Alexandre Muller: 6-1, 6-2
• Tommy Paul (12) beat Alexander Bublik: 5-7, 7-5, 6-4
• Sebastian Korda (24) beat Eliot Spizzirri (WC): 6-4, 6-2
• Brandon Nakashima (31) beat Roberto Carballes Baena: 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
• Alejandro Tabilo (30) beat Corentin Moutet: 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
• Novak Djokovic (4) beat Rinky Hijikata: 6-0, 7-6 (1)
• Gael Monfils beat Jiri Lehecka (26): 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8)
• Stefanos Tsitsipas (9) beat Chun-Hsin Tseng (Q): 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
• Jaume Munar beat Daniil Medvedev (7): 6-2, 6-3
• Camilo Ugo Carabelli (LL) beat Alex Michelsen (32): 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-3
• Karen Khachanov (22) beat Nick Kyrgios: 7-6 (3), 6-0
• Grigor Dimitrov (14) beat Federico Cina (WC): 6-1, 6-4
• Casper Ruud (5) beat Miomir Kecmanovic: 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Felix Auger-Aliassime (18) beat Tristan Schoolkate (Q): 6-4, 6-4
• Lorenzo Musetti (15) beat Quentin Halys: 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5

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