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South Africa Lloyd Harris won his first match in the Miami Open against the American qualifier Emilio nava Thursday.
The 24-year-old beat two tight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), to claim his first victory in ATP Masters 1000 level.
Harris saved a set point at 6/7 in the second set tie-break before passing in an hour and 32 minutes against the world number 556.
He will soon face the seventh Spanish favorite Roberto Bautista Agut in what will be their first meeting on the ATP Tour.
The South African was initially scheduled to play three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, before the Scotsman withdrew with a groin injury.
Harris made headlines at last week’s Dubai Championships, where he reached his first final of an ATP 500 level event.
He lost to Russian Aslan Karatsev in the final, but it was a successful week for the Capetonian, who became the first seed in history to reach the championship game in Dubai.
On the way to the final, Harris had eliminated top seed and world number 4 Dominic Thiem, as well as Japanese Kei Nishikori, a former world number 4.
Harris jumped 29 spots to No. 52, the highest of his career, in recent ATP rankings.
Meanwhile, Harris’s compatriot, Kevin Anderson, who has been struggling with knee and hip problems as of late, will open his campaign on Thursday against Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, with the winner taking on second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the second round.
Anderson, 34, missed the ATP events in Doha and Acapulco due to injury and is currently ranked 91st. He entered the Miami main draw in a protected ranking.
Anderson has played Monteiro at 76th place in the ATP rankings once before on the ATP Tour, with the South African winning in Pune in 2018 when the Brazilian had to retire injured while playing for a set (7-6 (7/4), 3-2).
Results from the ATP / WTA Miami Open on Wednesday:
Men
First round
Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) vs. Sam Querrey (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) over Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Ernesto Escobedo (United States) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-3, 6-2
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) over Pedro Sousa (POR) 6-1, 6-3
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) For Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) over Federico Gaio (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Emilio Nava (United States) 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)
Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) bt Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) 6-3, 6-1
Hugo Gaston (FRA) vs. Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-1, 6-4
Yannick Hanfmann (GER) over Steve Johnson (USA) 7-5, 6-2
Cameron Norrie (GBR) over Yoshihito Nishioka (Japan) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
Marcos Girón (United States) vs. Tommy Paul (United States) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Laslo Djere (SRB) by Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
James Duckworth (AUS) v Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Women
First round
Kristina Kucova (SVK) bt Hailey Baptiste (USA) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) by Wang Xiyu (CHN) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1
Renata Zarazua (MEX) for Nao Hibino (JPN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Wang Qiang (CHN) vs. Aliona Bolsava (ESP) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
Danielle Collins (USA) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-3, 6-3
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) over Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-3
Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROM) 6-1, 6-2
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) over Olga Danilovic (SRB) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3)
Ana Konjuh (CRO) by Katerina Siniakov (CZE) 7-6 (7/3), 7-5
Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
Tereza Martincova (CZE) by Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 6-4, 6-2
Sloane Stephens (USA) vs. Ocane Dodin (FRA) 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2
Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) by Irina Begu (ROM) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Sara Sorribes (ESP) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
Andrea Petkovic (GER) over Zhang Shuai (CHN) 7-5, 6-1
Zheng Saisai (CHN) vs. Fiona Ferro (FRA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Storm Sanders (AUS) bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) 6-1, 5-7, 6-1
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) by Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-2, 6-4
Katie Boulter (GBR) v Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Nina Stojanovic (SRB) over Heather Watson (GBR) 6-4, 6-1