The entire fourth round of the Miami Masters 1000 will be played on Tuesday, when the seeding showdown will feature Taylor Fritz and Jiri Lehecka. Frances Tiafoe has a surprising pairing with Terence Atmane.
(21) Jiri Lehecka vs. (6) Taylor Fritz
Fritz entered this season with a knee problem and it hasn’t improved much, but at the same time it hasn’t been a big obstacle. The American still registers at number 7 in the world, with results that include a fourth-round performance at the Australian Open and a runner-up showing in Dallas. Fritz advanced to the last 16 of the Miami Open by defeating two dangerous opponents in Botic van de Zandschulp and Reilly Opelka.
Next up for the 28-year-old on Tuesday is a sixth meeting with Lehecka, who trails the head-to-head series 4-1. Fritz went 3-0 against the Czech at the Masters 1000s and won their first four matches before Lehecka prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in Davis Cup qualifying last spring. Lehecka opened in Miami with straight-set wins over rising stars Moise Kouame and Ethan Quinn. However, the world number 22 hasn’t really found his game in 2026 – he comes into this match with a modest record of 8-5. He is 7-18 in his last 25 games against top 10 players.
Pick: Fritz at 2
Terence Atmane vs. (19) Frances Tiafoe
Tiafoe and Atmane will be clashing for the second time in their careers on Tuesday. Their only previous meeting came last month on the indoor courts in Dallas, where Tiafoe got the job done 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. It was a memorable game for Atmane’s outfit. To everyone’s delight, the Frenchman bought Tiafoe’s colorful lululemon shirt at a local clothing store and wore it during the match.
Fun and games will be put aside for a show like this – with a spot in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 on the line. Surprisingly, this is not the first time Atmane is in this situation. The left-hander made a memorable trip to the semifinals in Cincinnati last summer and hopes to produce similar magic in South Beach following losses to Daniel Altmaier, Arthur Rinderknech, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Tiafoe will come off a 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(11) match against Jakub Mensik on Monday afternoon that lasted two hours and 51 minutes and saw the winner save two match points. The 20th-ranked American is playing well, but it will be difficult for him to recover from that kind of effort without days off and Atmane is no stranger to upsets on this kind of stage.
Pick: Atmane in 3
