The ATP Masters/WTA Premier Miami Masters are currently underway, and neither reigning champion - Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams - looks set to relinquish their crown.
But there have been some major upsets at the Florida-based event, and here are 5 of the most shocking:
Kei Nishikori beats Roger Federer, QF 2014
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He may be a firm top 10 presence now, but in 2014 Kei Nishikori saw a series of patchy performances and was seeded 20th at the 2014 Miami Masters. He was up in the quarter-finals against fifth seed Roger Feder and the winner of that match would have been anybody's guess.
But a renewed Nishikori took on the 17-time Grand Slam winner, who was fresh off a finals finish at that year’s Indian Wells tournament, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, and had found fresh form after being plagued by injury in 2013, and outclassed him.
Instead, at the quarter-final match between the Japanese 20th seed and the Swiss legend, it was Nishikori who became the first player to break Federer’s serve at the tournament thus far.
Nishikori displayed exceptional ball control and consistency in his serve throughout the match, while Federer, in his own words, could "never really get his service going.” He beat the Swiss 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to progress to the semi-finals, where he would go down to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, who is also the reigning champ at the 2016 tournament.
Fernando Verdasco beat Rafael Nadal, 3R 2015
Their rivalry was exacerbated in 2016 when Verdasco was responsible for Nadal's earliest ever Grand Slam exit. The Spanish King of Clay and former World No. 1 was sent packing in the first round of the Australian Open, ousted in a tedious five-setter by his compatriot and Davis Cup teammate Verdasco, who has posed him some serious challenges in the past.
The less-experienced Verdasco had already beat Nadal at the Miami Open before – three years prior, in 2012, and repeated his performance last year. The runner-up in 2014 to Novak Djokovic, in 2015 Nadal remained unable to combat Verdasco’s aggressive service, with his own seriously faltering.
Andy Roddick beat Roger Federer, 3R 2012
Hot on a 16-match winning streak, Swiss legend Roger Federer had won 20 of the 22 matches he had played against the American; Federer had progressed to the semi-finals of the event the previous year, and in 2012 was up against a familiar opponent, and one he often beat easily.
Roddick fought a faltering Federer, and although he eventually beat him in three sets, it was not all smooth sailing for the American ace. He won the first set, but that was extremely closely fought, with Federer taking Roddick to a tiebreak, which also ended 7-4.
He then lost his rhythm completely, and Federer routed him 6-1 in the second; at which point, forcing a decider, it still looked convincingly to be the Swiss’ game rather than Roddick’s. In fact, Federer took Roddick to break point three times in the third and final set, with the American surviving each of those break points. He then broke Federer, and eventually took a shock victory over him.
Federer later ascribed the loss to fatigue, saying that the “30 or so” tournaments he had played so far that year had taken a toll on him; he had already won title trophies at Indian Wells, in Rotterdam and Dubai going into the 2012 Miami Masters.
Tommy Haas beat Novak Djokovic, 4R 2013
Reigning champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic would have fancied his own chances at the Miami Masters against nearly any opponent, Roger Federer included, and had won the title in 2011 and 2012.
The older Haas, with significantly more experience than the Serb, was nonetheless at a different stage in his career and much lower-ranked than a younger, fitter Djokovic.
Djokovic was on a 14-match winning streak, and his 35-year-old opponent, who had been World No. 2 a decade prior, had appeared slightly nervous going into the match.
The German player would pull off the impossible – beat an in-form World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and became the oldest man to do so in three decades. At the time, he was the oldest player in the top 50 in men’s tennis.
The victory took Haas to the quarterfinals in Miami for the first time in his career.
Olivier Rochus beat Novak Djokovic, 1R 2010
Doubles Grand Slam winner Olivier Rochus was up against then No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who had already won the Miami Masters title before, in 2007. The Belgian had never broken the top 25 in the singles, but he was no stranger to giant-slaying, having beaten former top-ranked player Marat Safin at Wimbledon in 2002.
He played a good game against Novak Djokovic, whose tendency to commit unforced errors was at a high, with 62 in the nearly 3-hour match. Rochus, for his part, pulled off some stunning mini-comebacks in the course of the match, even from game and set point down.
A now characteristically cool Djokovic lost his temper on court, smashing his racquet in frustration as Rochus managed to win a game after being 0-40 down.
Djokovic may not have expected Rochus to win – but as turned out, neither did Rochus. After the match, the Belgian told reporters he “never expected to win,” and could not have anticipated beating someone of the caliber of the Serb.
The Serb had then come affrr as marginally arrogant, saying: “He [Rochus] was motivated to win against somebody who's better ranked, top player," said Djokovic, who won the Miami title in 2007. "He didn't have anything to lose."
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