Jiri Lehecka reached his second career Masters 1000 semifinal Wednesday, the 24-year-old Czech defeating Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce 7-6 (1), 7-5 at the Miami Open.

“I knew what to expect,” Lehecka told Prakash Amritraj. “I knew he was going to play well and I knew that the level will be there. I did everything I could to stay in the match and work my way through the difficult situations.”

Lehecka had to navigate tense endings to both sets. Landaluce forced a tiebreak in the first set and made a late surge in the second, but Lehecka’s experience proved decisive as he closed out the match.

“These were the crucial moments where I feel I showed that I’m a little bit more experienced and I also did some good shotmaking there.

“The thing I saw about him was he really was the one who was winning the points. He went for it, he was very aggressive. It wasn’t just that some of the guys didn’t feel good or had a bad day. He was the one who really punished them and was aggressive going into it.”

Lehecka, the tournament’s No. 21st seed, will await the winner of the quarterfinal between Tommy Paul and Arthur Fils.

“I think both guys are playing with a little more spin if I compare them to Martin today, but they’re more experienced,” said Lehecka, the tournament’s No. 21st seed. “Both of them are great competitors. Tommy’s playing on home soil. Arthur’s in great form.

“We’re going to see. I’m very curious how that match is going to go, but I think whoever wins, on this court in Miami, I have the weapons to challenge them.”

Lehecka last reached a Masters 1000 semifinal in 2024, a run that coincided with a back injury that later sidelined him for three months. The memories from that period remain vivid for the Czech.

“I have memories I will never forget from that week: good ones and bad ones, as well,” Lehecka told Amritraj. “I will never forget how I played Rafael Nadal in his last match in Madrid. That was huge. Every time someone is cheering against me, I think how I played Rafa in Madrid and how there were 13,000 people against me. My team were the only ones hoping I would win any point!”

Frances Tiafoe arrives at the Miami quarterfinals buoyed by a deliberate shift in approach, one he summed up as a “No free lunches” mentality as he prepares to meet second seed Jannik Sinner. The American has not faced a Top 2 opponent in regular tour play since the 2024 Cincinnati Open final, when Sinner prevailed 7-6 (4), 6-2. That drought ends Thursday with their return match at Hard Rock Stadium.

Sinner comes in red hot, having won a record 28 consecutive sets in ATP Masters 1000 competition en route to another trip to the last eight. He also carries an identical total of 28 consecutive victories against American opponents dating to the 2023 Shanghai Masters. Their head-to-head favors the Italian, who has won four of their five meetings and is chasing a maiden Sunshine Double.

Tiafoe, the No. 19 seed and world No. 20, has been tested through the early rounds in Miami. He staved off a pair of match points to eliminate reigning champion Jakub Mensik in a final-set tiebreaker, then recovered late to hold off Terence Atmane in the round of 16. He credits a tougher mindset for those escapes.

“I’m relying on suffering. No free lunches. If they’re going to get over the line, let them go and earn it,” he said. “Sometimes you gotta see what happens. Guys are nervous, too.

“Today felt like a bigger win than yesterday, to be honest. With the 4-4, 0-40 down and pulling that out, that’s not a match I win about a year ago.”

This is Tiafoe’s first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal since contesting the biggest title match of his career with Sinner. Asked about preparation and visualization, he was candid about his routine.

“I definitely take a second and think about the positive things that may go on in a match. As of late, I close my eyes and think about shaking the guy’s hand with the win. Positive plays are going to help me win. Kind of put myself in that position before it already happens. I think that’s very real. Manifestation is monumental.”

Prakash Amritraj closed on a lighter note: “Big Foe, Lulu Foe, all this, but Miami Foe looks good” closed Amritraj.

Episode 13 of The Big T podcast turned its attention to a wide range of Miami Open talk, from an extravagant concession item to shifts in the top ranks and the progress of emerging players.

First, the culinary curiosity. For $100, fans could buy an Australian Wagyu sausage topped with crème fraîche, Golden Goat Caviar and edible gold flakes, a creation dubbed the Golden Glizzy. Hosts Andrea Petkovic and Mark Petchey weighed in on the dish and the tournament atmosphere in the episode.

On the women’s side, the conversation focused on Iga Swiatek. Less than a year after claiming her first Wimbledon title with a 6-0, 6-0 final, Swiatek has split with coach Wim Fissette. The six-time Grand Slam champion is 13-9 in her last 22 matches and has not reached a semifinal since last September in Seoul. Her opening-round loss to compatriot Magda Linette in Miami appeared to prompt the change.

Petkovic reflected on that decision in the episode: “Sometimes, I’m connected to witchcraft,” she began, “because I predicted last year that Iga was going to win Wimbledon … and last year I was on a show in Germany, and they asked me to give my hottest take about tennis. And I said I think Wim Fissette and Iga Swiatek will not make it through Indian Wells-Miami.

“It was just an intuition that came upon me.”

Joao Fonseca’s two straight-set losses to Jannik Sinner (7-6, 7-6 at Indian Wells) and Carlos Alcaraz (6-4, 6-4 in Miami) were framed as valuable tests for the 19-year-old. Petkovic said, “That is the ideal scenario for a young guy like him,” Petkovic says of the 19-year-old. “He can now go back home, look at the tape of the matches and say, this is where they are still better, or this is what I still need to work on—and come on the clay and absolutely crush.”

Petchey added context and a note of caution: “This was a great learning curve, for him to play those two stars,” Petchey agreed. He also warned Fonseca’s many fanatics with another comment: “I still feel as though we need to temper our enthusiasm, of how quickly he may be in the world’s Top 10, and really in amongst it against Carlos and Jannik. I think it’s going to take 18 months to two years before he’s comfortably feeling—particularly in a best-of-five—that he’s got a realistic shot of winning.”

The episode also highlighted 18-year-old Iva Jovic, who rose from No. 191 at the 2025 Australian Open by winning the USTA Wild Card Playoff and later reached the Australian Open quarterfinals, moving into the Top 20. Jovic said simply, “I love talking, in general,” says another teenage tennis sensation, Iva Jovic. She reflected on travel and growth: “I’ve done a lot of great training, and played some tough matches after Australia, but I think I learned a lot from it. I’m happy with where I’m at.” She added a candid note about life off court: “I’m a little bit clumsy, and all over the place outside of the court,” she admitted. “I lose everything, that’s my thing—I can’t keep track of my things. I oversleep sometimes, I’ve overslept on match days!

“Hopefully one day, I can be as responsible and mature as I sound.”

Episode 13 is available on major streaming platforms for listeners who want the full discussion and extra segments.