A rare occurrence in 20 years! Miami seeds exit in clusters, Sinner's victory cannot hide the embarrassment.

Last week, Italian player Sinner, who has won four Grand Slam titles, defeated Czech player Lehečka, who made his first career appearance in a Masters final, with two sets of 6-4 in the Miami Masters final, becoming the first post-00s player to win the Sunshine Double. He was precisely the tournament's second seed.

However, perhaps many netizens do not know that at the 2026 Miami Masters, many seeds suffered setbacks. Among the top eight seeded players, only two managed to reach the semifinals; even among the top sixteen seeds, only three players advanced to the round of 16. So, who were the top eight seeds? How exactly did they perform at the Miami Masters? Today, let this article take you through it.

Alcaraz, the strongest post-00s player who achieved a seven-match winning streak at the Australian Open in January, reversed the Melbourne king Serbian star Djokovic in the final, and completed a Grand Slam, naturally became the top seed of the Miami Masters. However, after sweeping Brazilian player Fonseca with two sets of 6-4 in the second round, he lost in the third round to American player Korda, who had previously reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal. This was also Alcaraz's first early exit since participating in the 2026 season.

Italian player Musetti, who had reached a Grand Slam semifinal and advanced to a Masters final, was the fourth seed of the Miami Masters. However, due to various reasons before the tournament, he withdrew from the event. Considering Musetti's first-round exit at the Indian Wells Masters, perhaps even if he had come to compete in Miami, it would have been difficult for him to advance far.

Australian player de Minaur, who has achieved the honor of reaching all Grand Slam quarterfinals, was the fifth seed of the Miami Masters. After a first-round bye, he faced Greek player Tsitsipas, whose world ranking had fallen outside the TOP50, in the second round. Although Tsitsipas had twice reached Grand Slam finals, because his ranking was much lower than de Minaur's, many netizens favored him to win before the match. However, during the match, Tsitsipas defeated this tournament fifth seed in straight sets, completely dominating their encounter.

American player Fritz, who has won a Masters title, advanced to the Year-End Finals and a Grand Slam final, was the tournament's sixth seed. He successively defeated Dutch player van de Sandschulp and compatriot Opelka to reach the round of 16, becoming one of the few among the top eight seeds to advance to the 16. Unfortunately, in the round of 16, Fritz lost to Lehečka and could not progress further.

Félix Auger-Aliassime, who has achieved many breakthroughs for post-00s players and is called the forefront of the post-00s generation, was the tournament's seventh seed. After defeating Hungarian player Fucsovics, he was beaten in the third round by French player Atmane, who had previously reached a Masters semifinal, halting his advance.

Shelton, who has won a Masters title and recently also claimed an ATP500 tournament championship, was the tournament's eighth seed. Regrettably, in the second round of the Miami Masters, after taking the first set in a tiebreak and being just one step away from victory, he was reversed by Kazakh player Shevchenko who won the next two sets, losing a favorable position and having to return home.

Sinner's victory certainly writes a new history for post-00s tennis, but the issues exposed by this Miami Masters remain glaring. The fluctuating form of top players and the successive defeats of the seeded contingent reduced the excitement of strong matchups in this premier event, adding more sighs over frequent upset victories. Competitive sports are inherently full of variables; this is both the charm of tennis and a wake-up call for many star players, hoping they adjust their form soon and return to peak performance in subsequent tournaments. That's today's tennis story, continuing tomorrow.（Source: Tennis Home Author: Yixin居士）