Tomas Machac upset Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4 in very windy conditions at the Miami Open to claim his first win against a top 10 player. Machac reached the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career.
Machac hit 17 winners to 22 unforced errors and saved both break points he faced.
Machac converted his second break point in the first game to take a 3-2 lead and served out the first set at 15 in the 10th game. The Czech player earned a break in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead and sealed the win on his first match point at deuce in the 10th game. Machac has won consecutive matches in four of his past tournaments dating back to the Australian Open. He has a record of 8 wins to 5 defeats this year.
Machac will face either Andy Murray or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round.
Rublev lost his third consecutive match against a Czech opponent following defeats against Jakub Mensik in Doha and Jiri Lehecka in Indian Wells.
Machac moves to world number 55 in the ATP Live Ranking. “I asked Jakub Mensik for some information after he beat Rublev in Doha. He is 18 years old and we are all pushing ourselves. It helps to show we can beat these kind of players. It’s tough to feel emotions now after a long day. I played very well and I am super happy to get the win”, said Machac.
