On a Friday filled with upsets at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Guido Pella provided another stunning second-round casualty by defeating ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov under the lights 6-3, 7-6(4).
The Bulgarian struggled to find his timing on Stadium Court, hitting 38 unforced errors to 18 winners. Meanwhile, the World No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings appeared inspired by the occasion and rose to the challenge with several flashy winners from the baseline. He also remained calm in saving a set point on his serve down 4-5 in the second set and again at 5-6. Nerves got the better of Pella with a double fault on his first match point up 6/3 in the second-set tie-break, but a backhand sent wide by Dimitrov in the next point wrapped up play after one hour and 55 minutes.
The win gives the Argentine his first victory over a Top 15 player since defeating then-No. 11 John Isner at the Rio Open presented by Claro in February 2016. Pella has come alive in recent weeks, winning a round at the BNP Paribas Open and reaching the quarter-finals at the Brasil Open.
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Next up for Pella is Nicolas Mahut, a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 winner over 23rd seed Steve Johnson. Neither Mahut or Pella have reached the round of 16 at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.
Thirteenth seed Jack Sock received a berth into the third round after Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to retire due to a left knee injury. The American trailed 2-4 in the opening set before Nishioka was unable to continue. Next up for Sock is Jiri Vesely, who prevailed in a marathon encounter over 19th seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.
In a match filled with twists and turns, 25th seed Fernando Verdasco defeated #NextGenATP American Ernesto Escobedo 7-6(6), 7-5. Verdasco saved five set points in the first-set tie-break, fighting back from 3/6, 6/7 and 8/9 before converting on his second set point. The Spaniard was unable to serve out the match at 5-3 in the second set, but regrouped to take the win in one hour and 47 minutes. His reward is a third-round clash with second seed Kei Nishikori.
Donald Young continued his outstanding season with a 6-2, 6-4 win over 11th seed Lucas Pouille. The American, who reached the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open, is now 12-5 in 2017. He'll play Benoit Paire, a winner earlier in the day over 21st seed Pablo Cuevas, for a place in the second week.