The reigning Miami Open champion falls after nearly three hours of intense battle.

This "monster" created by Novak Djokovic will drop out of the world's top 15 following this year's Miami Open defeat.

The young talent from the Czech Republic – Jakub Mensik has officially become the former king of the ATP 1000 Miami Open tournament after a 6-7; 6-4; 6-7 loss to Frances Tiafoe early morning on March 24 Vietnam time.

With the relatively fast court speed in Miami and a playstyle leaning on serve and power from both players, the sets were tightly contested with few break-point opportunities converted. Ironically, Mensik was the only one who successfully converted a break-point in set 2 (1/5 break chances overall, 20% conversion rate) but ultimately suffered a narrow defeat.

The first set and set 3 saw both Mensik and Tiafoe serving exceptionally well, with only one break-point appearing in game 4 of set 1, where the reigning Miami Open champion failed to capitalize. In the tie-breaks of both these sets, Tiafoe consistently held the advantage, creating up to 7 match-points compared to 2 from his opponent, successfully converting one point at 12-11 in set 3 to secure a spot in this year's tournament quarterfinals.

Mensik dominated in serve statistics (22 aces compared to Tiafoe's 6), had double the winners (59 vs. 27), and had slightly higher serve percentages (both first and second serves). However, the Czech player's return game was not particularly strong, and he committed up to 48 unforced errors – Tiafoe only made 26 – leading to his defeat after 2 hours and 55 minutes of play.

This result causes Jakub Mensik to relinquish the Miami throne and triggers a free fall on the world rankings, dropping from No. 13 to No. 26 (according to the Live ATP Ranking). Last season, the 2005-born player excellently claimed the crown at this prestigious tournament after a nail-biting victory over senior Novak Djokovic.

Mensik's early exit in Miami is not entirely surprising. The 20-year-old player contracted a mysterious virus at Indian Wells last week – along with other colleagues like Zizou Bergs, Matteo Berrettini, Ben Shelton, and Iga Swiatek – raising significant concerns about his physical condition. In his opening match, Mensik also struggled considerably to overcome an underrated Adam Walton.

Nevertheless, the highly promising player concludes the first part of the season successfully with a championship win in Auckland (New Zealand), while also reaching the semifinals at the Qatar Open, the quarterfinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships, and the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Meanwhile, the victory over Mensik sends Frances Tiafoe into the quarterfinals of the Miami Open 2026, where the home player faces Terence Atmane – who caused an "earthquake" by eliminating world No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime.