Rafael Nadal has been knocked out of the Miami Open following a three-set loss to Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the third round.
The former world number one and 14-time grand slam winner went into the tournament having barely recovered from an ankle injury.
Nadal however fell short again in Miami, a tournament he has never won, losing 6-4 2-6 6-3 to Verdasco, who has now won the last two meetings having lost the previous 13 matches between both players.
Afterwards, the 27-year old Mallorcan native stated “I’m still playing with too much nerves for a lot of moments. But I’m going to fix it – I don’t know if in one week, in six months, or in one year, but I’m going to do it.”
Meanwhile, third seed in Miami Andy Murray advanced to the fourth round with a 6-3 6-4 win over Santiago Giraldo, as he becomes favourite to win the tournament alongside defending champion Novak Djokovic.
In the women’s section, top seed Serena Williams needed only 45 minutes to brush aside 15-year old CiCi Bellis 6-1 6-1 and advance to the fourth round.
Williams stated after the match that “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m so happy to win this match’. It was tough. She’s young and her being an American, you want to see people like her do well.
33-year old Williams will next meet Svetlana Kuznetsova, who came through her third round match against Angelique Kerber with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 win.
Also through to the women’s fourth round are Sinona Halep and Flavia Pennetta, with Halep getting a straight sets win over Camilla Giorgi while Pennetta came through with a 7-6 7-6 win over two-time champion Viktoria Azarenka.