Landaluce’s breakthrough
Martin Landaluce reached the Miami Open quarter-finals — his best Masters 1000 result and first main-draw QF — drawing public praise from Rafael Nadal for his breakout run. (tennisuptodate.com) (tennisuptodate.com)
Landaluce saved a match point and edged Sebastian Korda 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 in a 2-hour 27-minute fourth-round match in Miami. (atptour.com)) He arrived in Miami ranked No. 151 and became the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist at the tournament since Jim Grabb (No. 185) in 1994, while also becoming the first player born in 2006 to reach a Masters 1000 last eight. (atptour.com)) Landaluce reached the last eight after coming through qualifying and stringing together wins over Top‑20 opponents including Luciano Darderi and Karen Khachanov before dispatching Korda in the fourth round. (atptour.com)) The victory produced a big live‑ranking leap into the low 100s — ATP’s live board showed a rise of 48 places to No. 103 — and analysts noted a win over Jiri Lehecka would guarantee Landaluce a Top‑100 debut and could push him even higher. (atptour.com)) Landaluce’s quarter‑final opponent, Jiri Lehecka, reached the last eight by upsetting Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 in the fourth round. (atptour.com)) Landaluce is a product of the Rafa Nadal Academy and was the 2022 US Open boys’ champion at age 16, background details the ATP highlighted as context for his rapid progress on tour. (atptour.com))
