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Daniil Medvedev joked about being a hard-court specialist at the BNP Paribas Open. His next opponent, longtime friend Karen Khachanov, has proven a tough foe at the biggest hard-court tournaments in the world over the past six months.

“When you go deep in this tournament, you don't have big time to prepare on clay unfortunately,” Khachanov said in response to a question about his clay-court preparation. “But it's at the same time fortunate because you are playing well here, so it's like a sweet problem to have, I would say.”

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Khachanov has now made the semi-finals at three of the biggest tournaments in the world over the past six months: last year’s US Open, this year’s Australian Open and now the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The 14th seed lost a set in his opening match of the tournament against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, but he has not looked back. The 26-year-old has not dropped a set since, including wins against Australian Open quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka, second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and 2022 Miami semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo.

Both doubles semi-finals went the distance on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, with a pair of Match Tie-breaks deciding the finalists at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin will face Austin Krajicek and Nicolas Mahut in Saturday's title match after both teams won their second Match Tie-break in as many matches to advance to the trophy round.

Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin edged Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-4, 5-7, 12-10 to back up their quarter-final upset of top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski. The unseeded Mexican-French pair also knocked off seventh seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the opening round.

A single break of serve decided both sets before Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin clinched victory on their third match point of the Match Tie-break.

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Krajicek/Mahut were 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 winners against Kevin Krawietz and Fabrice Martin thanks to their third Match Tie-break win of the tournament, the first of which came against third seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the first round.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have quickly formed one of the most exciting rivalries on the ATP Tour.

Possessing thunderous groundstrokes and incredible agility, the 19-year-old Spaniard and 21-year-old Italian have already clashed on the biggest stages and are poised to do so plenty in the next decade.

With Alcaraz leading Sinner 3-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, they will meet again on Friday in the semi-finals at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

“I [am] happy to play against him again because I look forward to these kind of matches,” Sinner said when looking ahead to the clash. “I feel like he makes me a better player. Here the court is fast. I think we both feel good here on these courts.”

Ahead of their sixth encounter, ATPTour.com looks at three of their past blockbusters.

Facing a high-level performance from home favourite Taylor Fritz at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Carlos Alcaraz proved once again that he is all but untouchable at his best. In a Thursday night quarter-final, the World No. 1 kept the American at arm's length in an efficient 6-4, 6-2 victory to continue his quest for the Sunshine Double — a rare title sweep across Indian Wells and Miami.

"A little bit of nerves at the beginning of the match. It was new for me, playing against him," Alcaraz said of his first meeting with Fritz. "I knew that I had to play my game, the way that I was playing the previous matches, a high level for me. Of course I'm very happy with the way I started the match, with no mistakes and with a lot of power. It was a key for me to break his serve at the beginning and then [play] my game."

Needing to retain his Miami crown to remain atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Alcaraz did his damage early in both sets, taking control with an instant break of serve in each. Fritz fought back well in the opener and was arguably the better player after the first game, but Alcaraz erased two break points — both in supreme style with half-volleys — to cling to his lead.

With both men eager to attack, Alcaraz again landed the first blow in set two. This time, he was more assured in closing out the set, rattling off the final three games to secure the win in one hour, 18 minutes. Both men finished with 20 winners, but Alcaraz kept his unforced error count down to 13 while Fritz committed 28 miscues. The Spaniard won three of his five break points, converting in each game in which he created a break opportunity.

Both Alcaraz and Fritz entered Thursday with 2-0 season records against Top 10 opponents. With the victory, his 10th in a row, Alcaraz improved to 18-1 overall in 2023. He is now two wins from becoming the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to claim the trophies at Indian Wells and Miami in succession.

A familiar foursome makes up the semi-final lineup at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Three repeat semi-finalists from Indian Wells — Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner — are joined by Karen Khachanov, who reached that stage at each of the past two majors.

The first of Friday's two matchups will see good friends Medvedev and Khachanov become foes, with the fourth-seeded Medvedev seeking a fifth straight ATP Tour final.

After seeing a 19-match and three-tournament winning streak snapped by Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final, Medvedev said it was time to start a new streak. He's emphatically done that in Miami, where he has not lost a set in three victories, in addition to a third-round walkover.

"[I'm] in confidence now. I'm playing well, starting from Rotterdam," said Medvedev, who also won titles in Doha and Dubai on his flawless run. "I managed to bring this [level] here, because it was not that easy," he added, referring to the transition from slower conditions in Indian Wells to the faster surface in Miami, as well as the three-day gap between his first and second matches due to the walkover.

After ending the dream run of Christopher Eubanks in Thursday's quarter-finals, Medvedev faces his toughest test of the tournament in Khachanov. The opponents grew up together, rising through the junior and professional ranks at the same time. But neither was a heralded junior until Khachanov began to break through with some big wins around age 15 or 16, as Medvedev recalled.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. 

While Daniil Medvedev did not exactly deliver that coaching cliche in his Thursday press conference at the Miami Open presented by Itau, he did explain the importance of both factors in his success — and the forces that drive him to push himself in training.

Discussing his mental strength, Medvedev explained the focus he puts on that aspect of his game, stemming from his hatred of losing.

"You never know what's more important, talent or hard work. Actually both are," he said. "Starting from when I was really young, no matter which game I play, I hate to lose. So I actually hate to lose more than I like to win, and you can kind of see this on the court. I think that's a good thing.

"But if you don't work [at] it, that can become a bad thing, because that's when you can sometimes maybe stop practising hard, because that's going to release some pressure off you. If you don't practise hard, you say, 'Yeah, well, I lost the match because I didn't practise well enough.' That's a little bit weak."

Karen Khachanov advanced to the semi-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2019 Thursday when he moved past Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2 at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

After falling a break down in the first set, the 26-year-old quickly recovered to ensure it was one-way traffic from then. The big-hitting 14th seed crushed 18 winners and drove the ball through the quick court to force Cerundolo into errors, sealing his victory after 75 minutes.

Cerundolo entered the match holding an 8-1 record in Miami, having soared to the semi-finals on debut last year. The 24-year-old was unable to earn his first victory against Khachanov and reach the last four again, however, committing 22 unforced errors.

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Khachanov won his only ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris in 2018, before he advanced to the semi-finals in Toronto in 2019. He will continue the quest for his fifth tour-level title and first since Paris five years ago when he plays Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.

Daniil Medvedev reached the semi-finals at the Miami Open presented by Itau for the first time Thursday when he overcame qualifier Christopher Eubanks 6-3, 7-5 to end the American's dream run in South Florida.

In a rain-disrupted clash, the fourth seed absorbed Eubanks' powerful serve and hit through the middle of the court to cut off angles. He struck a number of winners past the onrushing Eubanks, who closed the net frequently, while he recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set to advance after one hour and 30 minutes.

"I didn't play my best before [the rain delay]. The rain helped me go out and have more energy," Medvedev said on the rain delay which suspended play at 2-3 in the first set. "It helped me and I only played better and better, apart from one bad game on my serve, but it happens."

Medvedev, who fell at the quarter-final stage in Miami in 2021 and 2022, will aim to reach his fifth consecutive tour-level final when he faces Karen Khachanov or Francisco Cerundolo in the last four.

The 27-year-old is now 27-3 on the season, having won 22 of his past 23 matches. Medvedev has lifted trophies in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai during that run and reached the final in Indian Wells, where World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz ended his 19-match winning streak.

A dream week became even dreamier for Christopher Eubanks on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The American received a rain delay pep talk from global superstar Jamie Foxx before returning to the court to resume his match against Daniil Medvedev.

“Chris Who-Banks? Chris Eubanks!” Foxx yelled across the turf field inside Hard Rock Stadium as Eubanks prepared to return to the court. “Come on baby, what we looking like?”

Just a casual @iamjamiefoxx pep talk... @miamiopen rain delays hit different ? @chris_eubanks96 #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/ltRtRT9TBk

Foxx, who has become a good friend of Eubanks’ over the past few years, broke the fourth wall by speaking to the nearby camera about the former Georgia Tech star, who has enjoyed the best week of his career.

“Here we are with my man Chris, man. He’s got everybody by the heart, right in there,” Foxx said. “Everybody [is] rooting for him, we came out here to support him.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

The conditions, the climate, the number of Argentinians supporting him in every match of the tournament, the relaxation brought by the city’s beaches, the memories of happiness when he first discovered Crandon Park as a child... There are many reasons for Francisco Cerundolo’s extraordinary success competing at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where one year ago he was a semi-finalist on his ATP Masters 1000 debut and now is in the quarter-finals.

But there is another factor that is just as important: superstition.

“Since last year, at this tournament, we’ve had several superstitions. And they must be respected,” explained Cerundolo’s Argentine coach Kevin Konfederak. “One of the superstitions is returning to the restaurant where we eat and having the same meal. And everyone knows what they have to order. But I can’t say any more because I don’t want to jinx it.”

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Christopher Eubanks has enjoyed a dream run at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where he is set to play Daniil Medvedev in his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The American has received an outpouring of support from the fans, peers and even celebrities. Learn more about Eubanks in this edition of Five Things To Know.

Chris Played College Tennis
Eubanks admits he was never one of the United States’ leading juniors. The final year he competed in the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships, otherwise known as Kalamazoo, he was unseeded. So the American opted to attend Georgia Tech, where he was named ACC Player of the Year twice in his three years competing as a student-athlete.

By his third year on the team, Eubanks became a dominant force, tallying an 18-2 record at No. 1 singles and a 31-6 mark overall. He advanced to the quarter-finals of the NCAA Singles Championships, becoming the first from the school to achieve the feat since Bryan Shelton, father of Eubanks’ good friend Ben Shelton.

He Will Crack The Top 100 For The First Time Monday
It has been a memorable week for Eubanks in Miami. Entering the tournament, his career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking was No. 102. By defeating Gregoire Barrere in the third round, the home favourite guaranteed that he would crack the Top 100 for the first time.

Quarter-final action at the Miami Open presented by Itau continues Thursday, when two scheduled matches along with the postponed Carlos Alcaraz-Taylor Fritz clash are on the card.

Daniil Medvedev is one of the most in-form players on Tour, but the fourth seed will have to end the dream run of home favourite Christopher Eubanks in Florida if he wants to reach his fifth consecutive ATP Tour semi-final. Meanwhile Karen Khachanov looks to back up his fourth-round victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas when he faces 2022 semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo.

ATPTour.com breaks down Thursday’s quarter-final action in southern Florida.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

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Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin didn't need to wait long to avenge their semi-final loss to last year's World No. 1 doubles pair Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in Indian Wells. On Wednesday in Miami the duo rallied from a set down to upset the Miami top seeds 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-5 to reach their second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The Mexican-French pairing will next meet the winner of Nathaniel Lammons/Jackson Withrow and Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara, who were locked at 3/4 on serve in a match tie-break when rain halted play for the evening.

In the only other completed doubles result Wednesday, German Kevin Krawietz and Frenchman Fabrice Martin defeated American singles stars Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals. They next will play American Austin Krajicek and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

Carlos Alcaraz's hunt for the 'Sunshine Double' has ironically been put on hold because of rain.

The World No. 1, who must successfully defend his debut ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami this week to remain atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, had his Wednesday night quarter-final clash with Taylor Fritz postponed due to rain.

Alcaraz and Fritz will now do battle Thursday, alongside two other quarter-finals already scheduled for tomorrow: Daniil Medvedev vs. Christopher Eubanks and former Miami semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo vs. Karen Khachanov.

Alcaraz, who triumphed at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this month, has a 17-1 record in 2023.

Editor's Note: This story will be updated with the time of the Alcaraz-Fritz quarter-final when a revised order of play is released.

Not even a two-hour rain delay could stop Jannik Sinner from maintaining a pair of perfect records on Thursday at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Italian prevailed 6-3, 6-1in a weather-disrupted quarter-final inside Hard Rock Stadium and he has now won all eight sets he has played at this year’s edition of the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event in Florida. The 10th seed was victorious in one hour and 15 minutes and improved his ATP Head2Head record against Ruusuvuori to 5-0.

"We both played well today but I won the important points," Sinner said. "It's never easy when you are up and you get interrupted, but I came back and played well."

Most Match Wins In 2023

* Playing Wednesday night in Miami

Does Taylor Fritz eat Hot Pockets before practice when he is home?

“I don’t really want to answer that to be honest!” he said, cracking a laugh.

The American No. 1 answered that question and plenty more in this week’s edition of ATP Uncovered. Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, John Isner, Tommy Paul and Andrey Rublev all put their reporter’s hat on to come up with a good question for the Top 10 star.

Other questions Fritz’s colleagues posed include:

- Why do people call you 'The Golden Key'?

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed the host nations for the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage, while the draw for the Finals Group Stage took place in Malaga on Wednesday afternoon.

The Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy and the Pabellón Municipal Fuente de San Luis in Valencia, Spain return as host venues for the Group Stage this season after hosting successful events in 2022. Italy, Canada, Sweden and Chile will contest Group A in Bologna, while Spain, Serbia, Czech Republic and Korea, Rep. will contest Group C in Valencia.

Great Britain remains a host nation for 2023, with this year’s event taking place at the AO Arena in Manchester – the first time that the city has hosted Davis Cup action since Great Britain played Romania at the Northern Lawn Tennis Club in July 1994. Great Britain, Australia, France and Switzerland will contest Group B in Manchester.

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Two-time Davis Cup champion nation Croatia completes the list of 2023 Finals Group Stage host nations, with the host city and arena to be announced in due course. Croatia, Netherlands, USA and Finland will contest Group D.

The Miami Open presented by Itau quarter-finals begin Wednesday in Florida, where the Pepperstone ATP Rankings stakes are high for Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and more of the world’s biggest stars.

Alcaraz, who will play Taylor Fritz in the last eight, must win the title to retain World No. 1 next Monday. Anything less and Novak Djokovic will return to top spot.

The Spaniard returned to World No. 1 after winning the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells for the first time. The 19-year-old, who is the defending champion in Miami, is now three victories from completing the ‘Sunshine Double’.

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev also has an opportunity to climb by the end of the week. Currently No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, he can pass Casper Ruud and move to World No. 4 if he lifts the trophy.

As recently as last month, Medvedev was World No. 12. But the 27-year-old has won 21 of his past 22 matches, a stretch during which he claimed crowns in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. He will face first-time ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks for a spot in the last four.

Editor's Note: This article was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

Fans of both tennis and motor racing are in their element this week in the Hard Rock Stadium.

When entering the venue for the Miami Open presented by Itau, spectators have to pass through a few sectors of the street circuit where the second Miami Grand Prix will take place on 7 May. This partly explains why Carlos Alcaraz has Formula 1 on his mind. However, the main reason is Spanish driver Fernando Alonso.

“33 --> Soon,” wrote Carlitos on the TV camera after his win over Tommy Paul on Tuesday in the last sixteen of the second Masters 1000 of the year. He explained the meaning of the message in his post-match press conference.

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The in-form Daniil Medvedev produced a superb serving performance in the early hours of Wednesday morning to see off Quentin Halys and reach the quarter-finals of the 2023 Miami Open presented by Itau.

In a match delayed until after midnight due to rain in South Florida, the fourth seed won 82 per cent (32/39) of points behind his first serve and did not face a break point in his 70-minute victory against the World No. 79. Now into his third consecutive quarter-final in Miami, the 27-year-old will hope to carry his recent red-hot form into his last-eight clash against home favourite Christopher Eubanks.

“I thought it was going to be cancelled,” said Medvedev after producing a clinical performance against Halys after the long rain delay. “I’m pretty happy that I managed to play not so bad, becauset was not easy. I think that’s why Quentin was also missing a lot, because when you play at midnight… You usually sleep at midnight. So trying to play some tennis then [was tough].”

Locked in ?@DaniilMedwed overpowers Quentin Halys to secure the victory 6-4 6-2 ?@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/poWOHDeypx

Medvedev converted the only break point of the first set in the fifth game to move ahead in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with Halys, and took further command of the encounter by breaking the Frenchman’s serve again the opening game of the second set. With Medvedev dialled in on serve, the fourth seed ultimately ran out a comfortable winner to improve his record for the 2023 season to 26-3.