By: Christopher Menendez

Day Six at The Miami Open has tennis fans at Crandon Park roaring with excitement. In men’s singles, we saw surprising matches from Nadal and Wawrinka. In the women’s matches we saw class acts from Radwanska, Halep, and Makarova.

Nadal retired during the third set against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina, 6-2, 4-6, 0-3. This is the first time Nadal retires since the 2010 Australian Open quarterfinals. The Miami Open is the only tournament Nadal has not won. The 29-year-old Spaniard is a four-time runner-up here (‘05, ‘08, ‘11, ‘14).

The first match at the Miami Open stadium was World no. 6 Kei Nishikori and French qualifier Pierre- Hugues Herbert. Nishikori beat Herbert 6-2, 7-6(4). He comes to The Miami Open after winning his fourth straight title in Memphis.

The World no. 4 Stan Wawrinka lost to Andrey Kuznetsov, 6-4, 6-3. Kuznetsov, the no. 2 Russian, is off to a career-best 10-5 start this year.

Canadian Milos Raonic advances to the third round after beating American Denis Kudla in two straight sets, 6(4)-7, 4-6. Raonic is the only Canadian remaining in the singles at The Miami Open.

Petra Kvitova, currently World no. 7, lost to fellow lefty Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-4. “Of course it’s always tough to play against a lefty… we’re not used to it!” Makarova said. “Petra’s such a great player, it was really tough to play against her. I’m just really happy I came through.”

2012 Miami Open champion Agnieszka Radwanska defeated American Madison Brengle in two straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Radwanska advances to the third round and will compete against Bacsinszky or Ivanovic.

Simona Halep is still in the bidding for being the third person to win the BNP Paribas Open and The Miami Open back-to-back after beating Julia Goerges, 4-6, 1-6.

American Jack Sock advances after Sergiy Stakhovsky retired in the second set 6-2, 3-2. This is sock’s 4th Miami appearance and last year achieved his personal best in the third round.

In women’s doubles, Sloane Stephens (USA) and Madison Keys (USA) lost to Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Lucie Safarova (CZE), 4-6, 2-6. Stephens also lost in the singles division earlier this week to Heather Watson.

About the Miami Open presented by Itaú

The 2016 Miami Open will be played March 21-April 3 at the Crandon Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.

About Itaú

Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 95,000 employees and operations in 20 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.

About IMG

IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 25 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include Events Media, College, Golf, Tennis, Performance and IMG Academy, Fashion, Models, Clients, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; strategic partnerships with sponsors and brands; and marquee assets across sports, entertainment, events, music and fashion.