Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios beats McDonald at the Miami Open for his first win in 2 1/2 years

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Nick Kyrgios won a match for the first time in nearly 2 1/2 years on Wednesday at the Miami Open, beating Mackie McDonald 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 while wearing a thick wrap of beige tape on his surgically repaired right wrist that he said was numb after he took five painkillers.

“I’m not going to lie: I was pretty close to crying on court. I just think about the last two years, and it's been pretty brutal, to be honest,” said Kyrgios, the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022. “I was in a cast for 12 weeks. Couldn’t move my wrist. And the surgeons were saying I’d never play again. So I was listening to a lot of the outside noise — whether I'd be able to play at this level and win. Playing’s one thing, but winning matches and executing is another thing.”

The Australian, who turns 30 next month, hadn't come out on the right end of an official contest since October 2022, when he defeated Kamil Majchrzak at a tournament in Tokyo and then withdrew before what would have been a matchup against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals.

Since then, Kyrgios needed operations for a torn ligament in his wrist and on his knee, sidelining him for nearly all of 2023 — when he competed once in singles — and all of the 2024 season.

Kyrgios, one of the named plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday by players against groups that run tennis, began this year with an 0-3 record until Wednesday.

The lack of competition has dropped him from a career high of No. 13 all the way down to No. 892 in the ATP rankings; he was able to enter the Miami field thanks to a protected ranking. He was a semifinalist in this hard-court tournament in 2016 and 2017.

“I used to actually win a fair bit, so this kind of feels normal, but I don’t think it's really sunk it that I was in a place where I couldn’t hit a fluffy tennis ball to now beating a solid player,” said Kyrgios, who delivered 13 aces Wednesday. “It's pretty surreal.”

McDonald, a Californian who eliminated Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open, is ranked 101st and went through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw of the Miami Open.

Next for Kyrgios is a matchup against No. 22 seed Karen Khachanov, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist.

They've played three times previously, including five-setters at the 2020 Australian Open, won by Kyrgios, and at the 2022 U.S. Open, won by Khachanov.

“We pretty much grew up together through juniors. He’s an insane workhorse. So professional. Always shows up. Pretty much the opposite of what I do,” Kyrgios said with a smile. “If I make the start line, I'll give him what I've got. But I can't say it'll be what it used to be between us two.”

Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, hits a return to Mackenzie McDonald during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, left, shakes hands with Mackenzie McDonald, right, after winning their match during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, signs autographs after defeating Mackenzie McDonald during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, walks from the court to sign autographs after defeating Mackenzie McDonald during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, reacts during his match against Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, reacts during his match against Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)