Daniil Medvedev said physical struggles destroyed any chance of a victory to reclaim the world number one ranking on Friday after falling to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 at the Miami Open.
Medvedev dropped to second with a third-round loss to Gael Monfils at Indian Wells last week, but would have taken back the top spot from Serbia’s Novak Djokovic had he defeated Hurkacz, the defending Miami Open champion.
Instead, 10th-ranked Hurkacz advanced to the semi-finals by ousting the reigning US Open champion at Hard Rock Stadium and 20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic stays number one.
Hurkacz, now 2-2 all-time against the Russian, faces Carlos Alcaraz for a place in Sunday’s final after the 18-year-old Spanish sensation produced a scintillating display to beat 48th-ranked Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets in one of the best matches of the tournament.