No Surprises for Former Top 10 Players at the Miami Open Men’s Qualifying First Round

by Daniel Perisse

Belgium’s David Goffin, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, and Diego Schwartzman from Argentina put their experience as former Top-10 players to good use and advanced to the 2024 Miami Open Men’s Qualifying second round.

Former World No. 7 Goffin needed 1 hour and 47 minutes to defeat Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6(4), 6-2, and will now face Harold Mayot from France, currently ranked at World No. 141, for a main draw spot.

Bautista Agut had to play a tie-break in the first set to prevail against Germany’s Benjamin Hassan 7-6(7), 6-4. The 2021 Miami Open semifinalist takes on Finland’s Otto Virtanen.

Currently ranked as the world No. 117 after reaching as far as No. 8 in 2020, Schwartzman needed 1 hour and 38 minutes to trounce San Diego, Calif. native Zachary Svajda in the last match of the day at the Butch Buchholz Court, 6-3, 7-6(6).

Schwartzmann’s opponent for a spot in the main draw is Arthur Rinderknech from France, who defeated Jamaican Wild Card Blaise Bicknell 6-4, 6-4.

Hunter prevails after playing matches for the past three days

A doubles finalist at Indian Wells last Saturday, Australia’s Storm Hunter survived a three-day tennis marathon. After winning on Sunday less than 24 hours after playing in California, on Monday she defeated Jule Niemeier from Germany 6-4, 7-5, and earned her place in the main draw.

Hunter totaled 6 hours and 9 minutes on the court the past three days – and surely more than that in travel time just go get to Miami from the California desert.

Another impressive run came from Laura Siegemund. She dropped only two games before entering the draw, after defeating Darja Semenistaja 6-0, 6-2, and American Wild Card Robin Montgomery 6-0, 6-0 in her qualifying debut.

Three Americans earned a place in the singles main draw. Chicago native Taylor Townsend defeated Emina Bektas in an all-American clash, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, while Claire Liu from Thousand Oaks, Calif., routed Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-2.

Another USA-Belgium clash confirmed the last American player into the main draw. Walnut Creek, Calif. native Katie Volynets overcame 2009 US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in 2 hours and 27 minutes.

Twenty-year-old Maria Timofeeva, who reached the Round of 16 at the 2024 Australian Open, also secured her place in the main draw by overthrowing Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6-1.