Fifth seed Diego Schwartzman put in a masterful performance in his Miami Open presented by Itau battle against Adrian Mannarino, cruising into the fourth round without dropping a set after a 6-1, 6-4 victory on Monday.
Schwartzman improved to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head against 25th seed Mannarino in emphatic style, not allowing the Frenchman a look at a single break opportunity throughout the one-hour, 16-minute contest.
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“It’s a bit atypical that I didn’t face a break point today, because I am a player who is used to fighting off break points or fighting from a break down,” Schwartzman said in his post-match press conference. “Thankfully, one of the best qualities in my game has been the return.
“It’s clear that when I have days like today when I’m serving well, it gives me a lot of confidence to hit well from the baseline. I know I can take away my opponent’s chances.”
The Argentine set the tone early on inside Court Butch Buchholz, reeling off the first five games to start the match with a double-break, 5-0 lead. Schwartman’s speed and stamina were on display as he regularly outlasted Mannarino from the baseline. In fact, whenever the rallies went the distance, Schwartzman’s win percentage grew: by the end of the match, the fifth seed had won 31 points longer than five shots to Mannarino’s 18.
The only wobble for Schwartzman came late in the second set, and it was a minor one. The Argentina Open champion failed to convert his first match point on the Frenchman’s serve, but didn’t hesitate to serve it out himself in the next game.
“It was a very good match on my end, in almost every sense,” Schwartzman said. “There were just a few things that I did wrong, and I played with a lot of patience. I mixed it up with aggression whenever I had the chance. Mannarino is someone who plays with a lot of timing, but not as much speed, which allowed me to play my game and hit a lot of balls.”
The victory sent Schwartzman into uncharted territory as he advanced to the round of 16 in Miami for the first time. He has yet to drop a set this fortnight, and will face Sebastian Korda next after the #NextGenATP American stunned 17th seed Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-0.