Lehecka ends the dark horse's run, Fils saves four match points and wins three tiebreaks, Zhang Shuai achieves a millimeter-perfect comeback.

Three minutes a day, know all about tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Thursday, March 26, 2026. Welcome to listen and watch the News Midday Report provided by "Tennis Home".

Early this morning Beijing time, the ATP1000 Miami Open commenced its singles quarterfinals. Czech star Lehecka, who took the court first, battled through two sets against the 20-year-old qualifier dark horse, Spanish youngster Landaluce, ultimately winning a hard-fought 7-6(1) 7-5 victory, advancing to the Masters semifinals again after his 2024 Madrid appearance.

In the semifinals, he will face French rising star Fils, who endured a three-set struggle against local favorite Paul. Trailing 2-6 in the decisive tiebreak, Fils consecutively saved four match points, eventually pulling off a thrilling comeback 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 7-6(6), marking his first career Masters semifinal appearance.

The other two quarterfinal matches will take place early tomorrow morning Beijing time. The first matchup features world No. 2 Sinner against local dark horse Tiafoe; the second sees German star Zverev facing Argentine player F. Cerundolo.

WTA1000 Miami Open: In the upper half singles quarterfinals, top seed and defending champion Sabalenka performed steadily, defeating local player Baptiste 6-4 6-4, securing her place in the semifinals of the Sunshine Double for the second consecutive year. This also marks the Belarusian star's 21st career appearance in a 1000-level tournament semifinal.

In the semifinals, she will once again face Kazakh star Rybakina, following their recent final clash at Indian Wells. After losing the first set 2-6, third seed Rybakina mounted a counterattack, firing 15 aces throughout the match, ultimately winning the next two sets 6-3 6-4 to reverse local fifth seed Pegula, securing a five-match winning streak against her. This marks Rybakina's third career semifinal appearance at this event and her 13th overall in 1000-level tournament semifinals.

Sabalenka and Rybakina have faced each 16 times previously, with the Belarusian holding a slight 9-7 lead. In their two encounters this season, Rybakina prevailed at the Australian Open, while Sabalenka avenged that loss at Indian Wells, each claiming one win. In this third battle, who do you think will emerge victorious?

Doubles arena: In a quarterfinal match, fourth seeds, the Chinese-Belgian pair Zhang Shuai/Mertens, staged a remarkable comeback from a 5-9 deficit in the decisive set tiebreak, saving four consecutive match points, ultimately clinching a dramatic 2-6 6-3 14-12 victory over Hunter/Pegula to advance to the semifinals.

When saving the first match point at 5-9 in the tiebreak, Zhang Shuai's return landed on the line. Replay showed the ball was at most one millimeter from being out, truly a极限逆转. Next, they will compete against top seeds Errani/Borini for a spot in the final.

Let's turn to player updates. Yesterday Beijing time, media reported that Chinese player Shang Juncheng has decided to withdraw from the ATP250 Marrakech tournament. Previously, Shang indicated he would return to competition at this event, but it appears his injury is not fully healed yet, requiring continued rest. We hope he recovers completely soon!

Finally, a guess-and-recognize challenge. The image below shows a player being playful. Without any hints, can you recognize who he is?

Last issue's guess-and-recognize, fellow fans provided the correct answer. Indeed, the person in the image is American star Anisimova.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)