Jack Draper and Casper Ruud Eliminated in Second Round of 2026 Miami Open

Jack Draper and Casper Ruud both fell in the second round of the 2026 Miami Open on Friday, March 20, as American players Reilly Opelka and Ethan Quinn produced commanding performances to eliminate the seeded Europeans. Opelka, ranked 67th in the world and standing 2.11 (metres) — Opelka's height, a serving advantage tall, dismantled Draper with 25 (aces) — aces fired by Opelka against Draper and 47 winners across two tie-break sets, winning 7-6(3), 7-6(0) in 93 minutes. The result ended Draper's run at the tournament just as the 25th seed was working his way back to full fitness following a lengthy injury absence. Katie Boulter, meanwhile, advanced to the third round after her opponent Clara Tauson retired through injury.

Opelka's serve leaves Draper without a break point Opelka's performance was a near-flawless display of serving power that gave Draper, the British number two, almost no route into the match. Draper did not face a single break point across the entire contest, yet he was equally unable to manufacture a realistic chance to break the towering American's serve. The 93-minute match was decided in two tie-breaks, with Opelka winning the first 7-3 and the second a dominant 7-0. Draper, who returned to the tour in February 2026 after approximately seven to eight months away with a bone bruise arm injury, acknowledged the difficulty of his situation while maintaining a measured outlook on his comeback. „I didn't have many chances, especially on his serve. I didn't get broken in the match, so that was kind of my job, right? And, I guess I'm still at the very early stages of coming back from what was a very difficult injury to deal with. And if someone said that I'm going to be playing Dubai, Indian Wells, here, and go home feeling good, then I would have taken that, because it's a long season to go.” — Jack Draper via The Guardian The Miami Open was only the third ATP tournament of Draper's comeback, and the defeat leaves him at risk of slipping further down the rankings heading into the clay-court season, having already surrendered his status as British number one to Cameron Norrie earlier in the week.

Quinn stuns Ruud in straight sets at Miami Gardens Casper Ruud, the 11th seed and former world number two, suffered an equally abrupt exit at the hands of 22-year-old American Ethan Quinn, who won 6-4, 7-6(7) to advance to the third round. Quinn, ranked 56th in the world, took the first set with a break and then held his nerve through a tight second-set tie-break to seal the upset. The result was a significant scalp for the young American, who dispatched a player with considerably more Grand Slam and Masters experience. Ruud, who reached a career-high ranking of world number two in September 2022, had been expected to progress comfortably as a seeded player. The start of play on Friday had already been disrupted by rain, adding to a difficult day for the seeded Europeans at the tournament. The Miami Open is one of the premier events on the ATP and WTA calendars, classified as an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event. Casper Ruud reached a career-high singles ranking of world number two in September 2022, making him the highest-ranked Norwegian in ATP history. Jack Draper achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world number four on June 9, 2025, before his injury layoff.

Boulter battles through after Tauson retires injured Katie Boulter reached the third round in difficult circumstances after Denmark's Clara Tauson, the 17th seed, retired through injury while trailing 6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0. The match was a hard-fought affair that saw Boulter let a 5-3 lead slip in the first set before Tauson took the tie-break 7-4, only for the British player to regroup and take the second set 6-4. Boulter won the opening game of the third set before Tauson decided she could not continue. The result extended Boulter's recent return to form, which included a title run at the WTA 250 event in Ostrava the previous month, and she now sits at number 63 in the live rankings after falling outside the top 100 during a difficult 2025 season. Boulter will next face Karolina Muchova, the 13th seed, who beat Camila Osorio 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. „It was a complete battle - some ugly tennis and ugly conditions as well, but you have to find a way. Unfortunately she couldn't finish but it is what it is. It's never the way you want to win, but happy to be through to the next round.” — Katie Boulter via BBC Opelka, who describes himself as a servebot, will now await his next opponent in the third round after demonstrating that his Masters 1000 level remains formidable despite his ranking of 67th in the world.

Miami Open