Gilles Simon comes through Mikhail Kukushkin test at Miami Masters

Frenchman Gilles Simon breezed through the deciding set to knock out Mikhail Kukushkin and reach the Miami Masters third round this afternoon.

The 12th seed got off to a slow start and fell 2-1 behind as Kazakhstan's Kukushkin made the first break.

However, Simon won five of the next six games to claim the opener 6-3.

The second set was a more even affair and a tie-break was needed to separate the pair, with Kukushkin forcing a decider as he came through 7-5.

Despite having the momentum going into the third, Kukushkin failed to win a game as Simon dominated when returning to book his place in round three, where he will face either big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic or Colombia's Alejandro Falla.