Match Summary
Shevchenko Shocks Shelton; Zverev Dominates in Miami
March 22, 2026 – Indian Wells semi-finalist Zverev breezes through against Damm.
ATP Tour
Alexander Shevchenko secures his third Top 10 victory by toppling Ben Shelton in Miami.
Reported by ATP Staff
Alexander Shevchenko ended Ben Shelton’s Miami Open aspirations early with a thrilling comeback win on Saturday evening at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
With a scoreline of 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3, the Kazakhstani celebrated his third victory against a Top 10 player, while Shelton fell to a disappointing 1-4 record at this prestigious tournament in his adopted home state of Florida. This defeat marks Shelton’s worst loss based on PIF ATP Ranking since he fell to No. 192 Coleman Wong in the same event last year.
Shevchenko, who previously celebrated wins against Taylor Fritz (Basel, 2023) and Holger Rune (Rotterdam, 2024), advances to the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 for the fourth time in his career, having made similar strides in Madrid and Rome in 2023 and Shanghai in 2024.
“You have to give your all to stay in contention against such top players,” Shevchenko stated. “There was a moment where fatigue hit, but once I regained my momentum, the energy surged back.”
After facing two match points at 4-5, 15/30 in the second set, the 25-year-old delivered his finest performance during the subsequent tie-break and early third set, utilizing aggressive baseline tactics to neutralize Shelton’s explosive style. Although he didn’t earn a break point in the first two sets, he capitalized in the second game of the final set, maintaining pressure that forced Shelton into errors.
During the latter part of set two, Shelton was in command on serve, boasting a win rate above 80% on both his first and second serves. According to Infosys ATP Stats, he concluded with a 58% success rate on his second serve, but Shevchenko challenged him to earn each hold in the final set. The Kazakhstani displayed remarkable composure, dropping only one point in his last two service games and clinching the match with a stunning swinging-volley winner.
“I’m passionate and thrive when my team is energized. Every moment was exhilarating,” Shevchenko expressed, cheering on his team throughout the match. “When Ben is fired up and I’m contending with the crowd, I need at least three supporters on my side!”
Next up for Shevchenko is a clash with 31st seed Ugo Humbert, who triumphed over Gabriel Diallo with a score of 6-1, 6-4 earlier that day.
Meanwhile, third seed Alexander Zverev encountered little resistance against wild card Martin Damm, cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 victory to kick off his Miami journey on the stadium court. This win extends Zverev’s record for most ATP Masters 1000 wins this decade to 103, and marks his impressive 15-match win streak against players ranked outside the Top 100, raising his record against left-handed opponents to 40-1 since Roland Garros 2023.
“He’s a formidable opponent, with a powerful serve and game,” Zverev remarked about Damm after their first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter. “I’m satisfied with my performance and excited about what lies ahead.”
Next stop 🔜 R3@AlexZverev gets past Damm 6-2, 6-4.@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/ExNpEiWyAn
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 22, 2026
By overcoming Damm in his initial encounter with a Top 10 player, Zverev notched his 20th win in Miami (20-10). He has similarly reached this milestone at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Rome (27), Madrid (25), and Paris (20).
Aiming to surpass his 2018 Miami finals appearance, Zverev’s next challenge will be against Marin Cilic, who recently saved a match point to surprise 27th seed Brandon Nakashima, winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(7).
