Denis Shapovalov secured a straight-sets win over Jeremy Chardy to set up a semi-final showdown with qualifier Lloyd Harris at the Dubai Tennis Championships. 

The third seed struck 26 winners en route to a 7-5 6-4 triumph on Thursday, but it was his serve that pleased him most.

Shapovalov, ranked 12th in the world, sent down 10 aces as Frenchman Chardy was deprived of any break-point openings.

"I've focused on my serve a lot in the past couple of weeks," the Canadian said.

"I have worked on placing it and tried out different types of serves to have more variation. I hope I can continue that.

"I've also worked on my footwork and positioning during rallies. I am feeling the ball well on both sides. If I am moving well, everything goes into place."

Harris was a surprise winner over Kei Nishikori, sealing a 6-1 3-6 6-3 success to dump out the former world number four.

Second seed Andrey Rublev defeated Marton Fucsovics 7-5 6-2 and will now face fellow Russian Aslan Karatsev.

Wildcard Karatsev continued his run with a hard-fought victory over teenager Jannik Sinner, coming from a set down in a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 win.

Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and fellow star Alexander Zverev progressed to the Mexican Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, but Milos Raonic bowed out.

Tsitsipas was too good for big-serving American John Isner in a 6-3 6-2 victory in Acapulco midweek.

A two-time Australian Open finalist, having also reached the French Open final four last year, Tsitsipas excelled on serve against Isner.

Greek star Tsitsipas only dropped one point on his first serve – not facing a break point throughout the last-16 contest – while firing down eight aces.

Standing in the way of Tsitsipas and a semi-final spot at the ATP 500 tournament is Canadian sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime.

In a battle of the NextGen, seventh seed Auger-Aliassime saved four of five break points in a 6-3 6-4 win over wild card Sebastian Korda.

Zverev will feature in his third Mexican Open quarter-final in four years after the second seed took down Laslo Djere 6-4 6-3.

Runner-up in 2019, Zverev will next face eighth seed Casper Ruud – who topped Tallon Griekspoor 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in the quarters.

"I think today what showed the most is that I got better with the match," Zverev said. "I started off extremely sloppy, started off with a lot of unforced errors.

"The longer the match went on the better I started playing and this is something that is very important for me. When I get into a rhythm I feel very comfortable on court and that's how I felt today."

Elsewhere, Lorenzo Musetti's giant-slaying run continued following a 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1) victory against Frances Tiafoe.

Musetti earned his first ATP 500 quarter-final as the Italian prepares to meet fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who eased past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4 6-2.

There was an upset after fourth seed Raonic crashed out 6-4 6-2 at the hands of Dominik Koepfer, while sixth seed Fabio Fognini lost 6-4 6-3 against Cameron Norrie.

Jannik Sinner fought hard to earn an impressive victory that knocked fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut out of the Dubai Tennis Championships. 

The 19-year-old rising star, who won the Great Ocean Road Open last month, prevailed in a match that remained in the balance until the end on Wednesday. 

Sinner won 6-4 3-6 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals, with Bautista Agut following top seed Dominic Thiem - who lost in the second round - out of the tournament. 

After hitting 16 aces, Sinner – the youngest player in the ATP Tour top 100 – will face surprise Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev next. 

Second seed Andrey Rublev is through after a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win over Taylor Fritz. 

Rublev will face Marton Fucsovics, who ousted Serbian Dusan Lajovic in three sets, in the last eight. 

The Russian now has 22 consecutive wins at ATP 500 events, a run that has included four titles at that level. Only Roger Federer has ever recorded a longer streak, doing so with a run of 28 between 2014 and 2016.

"I am really happy that I can win in straight sets and quite confidently," Rublev said. 

"I know Taylor since [the] juniors and it is always tough to play against him, because he has a huge serve and he is playing really fast. 

"The first set was not even rallies because everything was serve, winner or serve, mistake, so everything was so fast. 

"In these conditions, it is tough to find the rhythm. You don't know what's going to happen and it's really not easy, but I'm happy that in the end I made it."

Third seed Denis Shapovalov is also through after a 6-4 6-3 win over Hubert Hurkacz, the Canadian booking a last-eight meeting with Jeremy Chardy. 

Kei Nishikori will play Lloyd Harris in the other quarter-final. 

Italian qualifier Lorenzo Musetti may be ranked 120th in the world but he claimed his maiden top-10 scalp on Tuesday, beating Diego Schwartzman in the first round of the Mexican Open.

Musetti, the Australian Open boys' singles champion in 2019, secured a 6-3 2-6 6-4 win over ninth-ranked Schwartzman in a stunning success.

"There is a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice and I think some tears left in my eyes," the 19-year-old said during his on-court interview.

"I'm really proud of myself, but now I'm going to work harder and focus on the next days."

Musetti, whose forehand was excellent, defeated both Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome last year.

Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas had no such trouble, easing into the second round, where he will face big-serving American John Isner.

The Greek world number five beat France's Benoit Paire 6-3 6-1, aided by a strong display on serve.

"I didn't know what to expect from Benoit today," Tsitsipas said. "I think it's kind of tricky playing a tournament you haven't played before."

On facing 27th-ranked Isner next up, Tsitsipas added: "He's a guy that serves really well so that's going to be the biggest element and the one thing that I'll really have to resolve during that match."

Fourth seed Milos Raonic sent down 13 aces as he defeated American Tommy Paul 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

In the late match, fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov got past Adrian Mannarino, who retired when trailing 6-4 3-0.

Top seed Dominic Thiem was beaten in straight sets in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships by Lloyd Harris.

The reigning US Open champion, given a bye for the first round, lost 6-3 6-4 to his South African opponent, who sits 77 places further down the ATP rankings.

The Austrian has endured a difficult start to 2021. He lost in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16 of the Australian Open and was beaten by Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals in Doha.

It was a first win over a top-five player for Harris, who was not once taken to deuce on serve during their 72 minutes on court.

"I'm super, super happy with that win. [He is] by far the highest-ranked player I have beat," said Harris. "I look up to Domi a lot so, for me, it is a special feeling. I am really happy. Just the fact that I am playing good tennis, match in, match out now is giving me a lot of confidence.

"I was serving really well. I don't think I faced any break points. I took control of those games and [in] one or two games on his serve, I gave myself a good look. I played some of the important points very well. I am very proud of that."

While Thiem is struggling for form, things are looking far better for Andrey Rublev, who beat Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 6-4 to stretch his winning streak at ATP 500 events to 21 matches.

The world number eight, who will face Taylor Fritz in the next round, equalled Andy Murray for the second-best winning run at this level of the Tour. Roger Federer (28) holds the record.

Third seed Denis Shapovalov beat Jan-Lennard Struff for the loss of just four games, while Bautista-Agut advanced after opponent Matthew Ebden retired in the first set.

Fifth seed David Goffin was beaten in straight sets by Kei Nishikori, who recorded just his third victory of the year.

Karen Khachanov and Jannik Sinner each advanced after three-setters, while Marton Fucsovics and Aslan Karatsev were also taken the distance before progressing.

Hubert Hurkacz, Lorenzo Sonego, Dusan Lajovic, Aljaz Bedene and Filip Krajinovic also won on Tuesday.

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Miami Open as he bids to recover full fitness in time for the European clay season.

The 20-time grand slam singles champion has not played since losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in February.

Nadal pulled out of the Rotterdam Open and turned down a wildcard for the Dubai Tennis Championships due to a persistent back problem.

The world number three, who has never won the title in Miami, wants to prioritise his recovery ahead of the beginning of the clay-court swing in April.

Writing on Twitter on Tuesday, he said: "Sad to announce that I won't be playing in Miami, a city that I love.

"I need to fully recover and get ready for the clay-court season in Europe. Special message to my fans in the US and in particular to the great Spanish-speaking community FL who always give me a great support!"

Nadal follows long-time rival Roger Federer in withdrawing from the tournament, the Swiss great choosing to focus on training after only returning to the Tour from a 14-month absence at the Qatar Open.

Federer is the reigning champion in Miami, having beaten 2018 winner John Isner in the final two years ago. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.

Alexander Zverev cruised into the second round of the Mexican Open as debutant Sebastian Korda enjoyed a memorable debut in Acapulco.

German star and second seed Zverev accounted for teenager Carlos Alcaraz, the 2019 runner-up winning the opening-round clash 6-3 6-1 on Monday.

Alcaraz – in his first showdown against a top-10 player – broke for a 2-0 lead and while he continued to go toe-to-toe with Zverev through six games, the 17-year-old was unable to maintain his charge.

Zverev broke for a 4-3 lead and the 2020 US Open finalist did not look back, winning nine of the last 10 games to advance in 84 minutes.

"He started off playing extremely well, he didn't miss a lot of balls. Then I felt more comfortable on court, this is the first round," Zverev said.

"It's not always easy to play a first round, especially against a player like this, who is very young, who is very motivated and who wants to compete. I'm actually quite happy with how the match went."

Next up for Zverev – who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals in February – is Serbia's Laslo Djere.

Djere took down Steve Johnson 6-2 6-3 for a spot in the last 16.

Meanwhile, Korda capped his Acapulco bow with a shock 7-5 6-2 win against former world number three Marin Cilic.

Korda claimed his first ATP 500-level victory having saved 10 of the 11 break points he faced in the opening set against the 2014 US Open champion.

Canadian sensation and seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime awaits after the 20-year-old converted his sixth match point to see off Tennys Sandgren 6-3 7-6 (10-8).

Elsewhere, John Isner and Dominik Koepfer also advanced.

Former world number one Andy Murray will compete at the Miami Open for the first time since 2016 after being granted a wildcard.

Murray has not played on the ATP Tour since last month's Rotterdam Open, where the three-time major champion lost to Andrey Rublev in the round of 16.

But Murray – who won the ATP 1000 event in 2009 and 2013 – is set to end his Miami absence, having undergone hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019.

"It's a city I love, and I've spent a lot of time here over the last 15 years, I feel comfortable," the 33-year-old, who sat out the Australian Open after testing positive for coronavirus, told PEOPLE Magazine.

"But over the next few months, I want to play matches — especially against the top players — work on my game and climb the rankings. I want to get back playing a sport I love."

Murray added: "The last few years has been really hard. After the operation, there were no guarantees I would play again, but I've been working very hard on my conditioning and over the last few months I've felt the best I have for years. 

"I'll need to be mindful of my schedule moving forward but I'm excited to be back competing — with a metal hip."

"But every match feels like progress and I'm learning from each one," he continued.

The Miami Open will get underway at Hard Rock Stadium on March 24 after the tournament was cancelled last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is exciting to see Andy back in Miami," Miami Open Tournament Director James Blake said.

"As someone who has had to battle back from injuy during his career, I understand and respect all the hard work Andy has put in to get back on tour."

Alex de Minaur's tough run of form continued as he let a set lead slip to lose to Jeremy Chardy at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.

De Minaur, the ninth seed in Dubai, won his first tournament of 2021 in Antalya in January.

However, the Australian's results since then have rapidly declined and his latest loss - 2-6 6-3 6-4 to Chardy - means he is 3-5 since his title in Turkey.

De Minaur seized his first two break points against Chardy, yet the next four came and went while his opponent proved clinical, taking his only two opportunities and snatching victory.

The Frenchman, who reached the semi-finals in Antalya and again at an ATP 250 event in Melbourne prior to the Australian Open, said: "I've played good since the beginning of the year.

"It is always easier to play when you are confident. If you play a bad set, it is never finished. I stayed focused and tried to find a solution."

It was not a successful start to the week for De Minaur's compatriots either, as John Millman was among three other Aussies to crash out.

Christopher O'Connell missed the chance to set up a meeting with Dominic Thiem as Lloyd Harris advanced, and qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori saw off Jordan Thompson ahead of facing Andrey Rublev.

Marton Fucsovics was back in action after handing a walkover to Rublev, the same man who had previously beaten him to the Rotterdam Open title, in Qatar last week.

He defeated Vasek Pospisil in three sets, while there was a milestone win for Richard Gasquet, another man unable to line up against Rublev in Doha.

A 6-4 6-2 win over Marco Cecchinato was his 550th on the ATP Tour, making him only the sixth active player to that mark after the 'big four' of Roger Federer (1,243), Rafael Nadal (1,008), Novak Djokovic (943) and Andy Murray (677) and Spain's Fernando Verdasco (552).

"I am feeling great here," Gasquet said. "I know this court well. I played well last year. It is a fast court. I like to play on it.

"It is important to serve well and it was a great match. I started well, feeling confident and winning the first set, and then I played better in the second set."

Cristian Garin prevailed in his hometown, crowned Chile Open champion with a three-set victory over Facundo Bagnis.

Garin, who had not won a match in 2021 before arriving in Santiago, claimed his first ATP Tour trophy on home soil thanks to Sunday's 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 triumph.

The top seed and 24-year-old only dropped one set throughout the ATP 250 tournament as he became the first Chilean player to win a home event since Fernando Gonzalez in 2009.

Bagnis was contesting his first final aged 31 and he was unable to see it through against Garin, who celebrated his fifth ATP title – all of them on clay.

Daniil Medvedev claimed the 10th ATP Tour title of his career with a 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

Medvedev will move up to number two in the world in Monday's latest ranking, making him the first player outside of the big four of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to occupy one of the top two positions since Leyton Hewitt in 2005.

The Russian celebrated this achievement with a dogged display to down Herbert in two hours and 11 minutes, saving four of the five break points he faced.

A finalist at the Australian Open, Medvedev is now 14-2 in 2021, with the Open 13 title his sixth on indoor hard courts.

Herbert's strategy of frequently visiting the net was initially picked apart by Medvedev, who only needed one set point in the opener as he threaded a backhand winner expertly down the line.

But the Frenchman applied the pressure in set two, passing up three break points early on before impressing from the baseline to reel off five straight points and claim the breaker from 2-4 behind.

The decider was a tense affair but Herbert's errors at the net came back to undermine his efforts decisively when he served to stay in the match at 5-4.

The 29-year-old has now lost all four of his ATP Finals, while Medvedev again proved himself to be a high-quality operator on such occasions.

Cristian Garin continued his quest for Chile Open glory as another upset in the other half of the draw paired two Argentinians in the semi-finals.

Top seed Garin is aiming to win an ATP Tour event on home soil for the first time in Santiago.

The 24-year-old was made to work by Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in the last eight on Friday, but he prevailed 6-4 6-4.

Garin was broken first in either set yet responded instantly on each occasion.

"I would love to be able to do something important in this tournament," the Chilean said. "It is special and I hope I can continue to win.

"I am playing better, in a semi-final and I am excited to do better, but I prefer to go step by step, game by game."

Daniel Elahi Galan is up next, while the highest remaining seed besides Garin is Argentina's Federico Delbonis, the number eight.

That is because Facundo Bagnis set up a meeting with his compatriot by defeating fourth seed Laslo Djere.

Bagnis, who had already claimed the scalp of fifth seed Frances Tiafoe, dropped the first set but recovered to advance 4-6 6-3 6-3 at the ATP 250 tournament.

Stefanos Tsitsipas saw his hopes of a hat-trick of titles at the Open 13 Provence ended by a shock quarter-final defeat on Friday.

The second seed was upset by French world number 93 Pierre-Hugues Herbert, as the doubles expert scored a 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-2 win.

Herbert had won only one singles match on tour in 2021 before this week, but Kei Nishikori and Cameron Norrie fell to the 29-year-old in the early rounds before he stunned world number five Tsitsipas.

It was a first career win in singles over a player ranked in the world's top five for Herbert, and he said: "It has been an incredible week for me so far, especially this match."

Quoted on the ATP website, Herbert added: "I knew I was going to have to play an amazing match to have a chance to win and I managed to do that. I am really happy about the way I played. I am so happy to be in the semi-finals here."

A French finalist is guaranteed as Herbert will face compatriot Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Humbert beat another Frenchman, world number 138 Arthur Rinderknech, in a tight contest, saving a match point and coming through 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) in two hours and 36 minutes.

Russian top seed Daniil Medvedev chased off the threat of Jannik Sinner at this indoor event for the second year running, securing a 6-2 6-4 success against the Italian teenager.

Their only two career meetings have come in Marseille, and Medvedev bossed this encounter, taking three of his five break chances and holding serve throughout.

He will face Australian Matthew Ebden in the final four after the world number 287 earned an eye-catching 4-6 6-4 6-2 win over Russian third seed Karen Khachanov, who was champion in 2018 in Marseille.

At the Qatar Open, Nikoloz Basilashvili backed up his three-set win over Roger Federer by reaching the final of the tournament.

The Georgian scored a 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 semi-final victory over American Taylor Fritz in a clash of two unseeded players.

Basilashvili will tackle Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut for the title on Saturday after the fifth seed ousted Russian third seed Andrey Rublev.

A 6-3 6-3 win for Bautista Agut nudged the man from Castellon de la Plana into a 3-2 career head-to-head lead over his Muscovite opponent.

Top seed Cristian Garin will fly the flag for Chile in the quarter-finals of the Chile Open after beating compatriot Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.

The only two remaining home hopes in Santiago went head-to-head on Thursday and it was world number 22 Garin who came out on top 6-2 6-2.

Garin, a four-time ATP Tour winner, was forced to retire from the tournament in the last eight last year but will look to reach the semi-finals for the first time when he takes on Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas.

The 24-year-old Garin is one of only three seeds remaining in the competition after Varillas' upset win over Federico Coria in straight sets and Daniel Elahi Galan's defeat of Pablo Andujar.

Garin cannot now play another seeded player until the final.

Roger Federer's return to the ATP Tour lasted just two matches at the Qatar Open as he was beaten in the last eight by the brilliant Nikoloz Basilashvili.