Lloyd Harris claims maiden win at ATP Masters 1000 level

South Africa's Lloyd Harris won his opening match at the Miami Open against American qualifier Emilio Nava on Thursday.

The 24-year-old edged two tight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), to claim his first win at ATP Masters 1000 level.

Harris saved a set point at 6/7 in the second-set tie-break before coming through in one hour and 32 minutes against the world No 556.

He will next face Spanish seventh seed 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 Scot pulled out with a groin injury.

Harris made headlines at last week's Dubai Championship where he reached his first final of an ATP 500-level event.

He lost to red-hot Russian Aslan Karatsev in the final but it was nevertheless a successful week for the Capetonian, who became the first qualifier in history to reach the championship match in Dubai.

En route to the final, Harris had knocked out top-seed and world No 4 Dominic Thiem, as well as Japan's Kei Nishikori, a former world No 4.

It saw Harris jump 29 spots to a career-high No 52 in the latest ATP rankings.

Meanwhile Harris' compatriot, Kevin Anderson, who's been struggling with knee and hip predicaments in recent times, will open his campaign on Thursday against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, with the winner taking on second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece in the second round.

Anderson, 34, missed the ATP events in Doha and Acapulco due to injury and currently finds himself at No 91 in the rankings. He got into the Miami main draw on a protected ranking.

Anderson has played the 76th-ranked Monteiro once before on the ATP Tour, with the South African winning in Pune in 2018 when the Brazilian had to retire injured while trialing by a set (7-6 (7/4), 3-2).

Results from ATP/WTA Miami Open on Wednesday:

Men

First round

Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) bt Sam Querrey (USA) 6-3, 6-4

Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)

Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

Ernesto Escobedo (USA) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-3, 6-2

Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Pedro Sousa (POR) 6-1, 6-3

Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt Federico Gaio (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2

Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Emilio Nava (USA) 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) bt Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-1, 6-4

Yannick Hanfmann (GER) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 7-5, 6-2

Cameron Norrie (GBR) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5

Marcos Giron (USA) bt Tommy Paul (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Laslo Djere (SRB) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1

James Duckworth (AUS) bt 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) bt Wang Xiyu (CHN) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1

Renata Zarazua (MEX) bt Nao Hibino (JPN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

Wang Qiang (CHN) bt Aliona Bolsova (ESP) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

Danielle Collins (USA) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-3, 6-3

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) bt 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) bt Olga Danilovic (SRB) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3)

Ana Konjuh (CRO) bt 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) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 6-4, 6-2

Sloane Stephens (USA) bt Ocane Dodin (FRA) 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2

Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) bt 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) bt Zhang Shuai (CHN) 7-5, 6-1

Zheng Saisai (CHN) bt 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) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-2, 6-4

Katie Boulter (GBR) bt Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Nina Stojanovic (SRB) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-4, 6-1