Friday at the Miami Open delivered a second round that reshaped the draw beyond recognition, with seven seeded players eliminated across a day that began with rain delays and ended with Carlos Alcaraz delivering a statement on Stadium Court.
Seed No. 10 Alexander Bublik, seed No. 5 Alex De Minaur, seed No. 13 Flavio Cobolli and seed No. 17 Luciano Darderi all fell, while French wild card Moise Kouame’s fairytale week was brought to an abrupt end. Seeds No. 11 Casper Ruud and No. 25 Jack Draper also exited.
Seeds of the upper part of the draw at the Miami Open
No. 1 Alcaraz – IN
No. 32 Korda – IN
No. 17 Darderi – OUT
No. 14 Khachanov – IN
No. 11 Ruud – OUT
No. 21 Lehecka – IN
No. 25 Draper – OUT
No. 4 Musetti – withdrew before tournament
No. 6 Fritz – IN
No. 29 Etcheverry – not yet played
No. 22 Paul – IN
No. 13 Cobolli – OUT
No. 10 Bublik – OUT
No. 24 Vacherot – IN
No. 28 Fils – IN
No. 5 De Minaur – OUT
Kouame’s fairytale ends, Bublik and De Minaur follow him out
The most emotionally resonant exit of the day belonged to Kouame. The 17-year-old, who had become the youngest player to win an ATP Masters 1000 match since Rafael Nadal in 2023, earlier in the week, ran out of magic against seed No. 21 Jiri Lehecka, who controlled proceedings from start to finish to win 6-2, 7-5.
Bublik’s departure was equally stark. The Kazakh, who had many points to take, was dismantled by a resurgent Matteo Berrettini, who won 6-4, 6-4 with an authority that underlined just how far the Italian has come in his return from injury.
De Minaur fared no better, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas producing a clean 6-3, 7-6(7) victory to eliminate the Australian fifth seed. Cobolli fell to Belgian Raphael Collignon 7-5, 6-3, and Darderi’s day ended in painful fashion, Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce grinding out a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 victory in three competitive sets.
Americans dominate as Quinn, Fritz, Paul and Opelka all advance
While the seeds tumbled, it was a productive day for American tennis. Ethan Quinn, ranked No. 67, added seed No. 11 Casper Ruud’s scalp to his earlier demolition of Hubert Hurkacz, winning 6-4, 7-6(7) to reach the third round.
Seed No. 6 Taylor Fritz survived a stern test from Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, eventually prevailing 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3 in three sets. Seed No. 22 Tommy Paul dispatched Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, and Reilly Opelka eliminated seed No. 25 Jack Draper 7-6(3), 7-6(0) in a match Draper never managed to drag out of the tiebreaks.
Fritz and Opelka now meet in the third round in what promises to be a compelling all-American clash.
Alcaraz untouched as Korda, Khachanov and Berrettini complete the picture
In the night session, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was imperious, dispatching Brazilian Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-4 with the kind of focused precision that suggested he has no intention of being distracted by the turbulence elsewhere in the draw. Seed No. 32 Sebastian Korda was equally emphatic, routing Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-0, 6-3 to set up a third-round meeting with Alcaraz.
With seven seeds gone in a single day, the third round at Hard Rock Stadium now feels considerably more open than anyone anticipated at the start of the week.
SEO summary: Men’s second round results from the Miami Open presented by Itau 2026, Friday March 20. Seeds eliminated include Alexander Bublik (No. 10), Alex De Minaur (No. 5), Flavio Cobolli (No. 13), Luciano Darderi (No. 17), Casper Ruud (No. 11) and Jack Draper (No. 25). Carlos Alcaraz defeated Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-4. Moise Kouame lost to Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 7-5. Full results from Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens.