Miami Gardens (United States) (AFP) – Australia’s Alex de Minaur put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout Monday, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and football-style chanting. Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with both the blistering forehands and the partisan crowd. Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet.
But de Minaur won six of the final seven games to move into the fourth round, keeping his cool even when the crowd, at times, disrupted his serve preparation. “Mentally I was ready for this match, I knew I was not only going to play an incredible talent like Joao, playing with immense confidence and nothing to lose, but also an incredible crowd that was on his side from the first point until the last,” de Minaur said. “One of my biggest strengths is my mentality and that is what got me the win today,” he added.
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Top seed Alexander Zverev recovered from a slow start to power into the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Australia’s Jordan Thompson. The German was 4-1 down in the first set but then went on a roll, winning eight of the next nine games to progress. Zverev lost in the opening round at Indian Wells, but with Carlos Alcaraz already out in Miami, he will fancy his chances of adding to his list of seven Masters 1000 titles. Third-seed Taylor Fritz also moved into the fourth round beating Denis Shapovalov of Canada 7-5, 6-3. The American let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set, but regained control with his serve proving too much for Shapovalov.
In the women’s draw, third-seed Coco Gauff’s bid ended with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Poland’s Magda Linette. Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka eased her way into the last eight with a 6-4, 6-4 win over last year’s winner Danielle Collins of the USA. Next, Sabalenka will be up against ninth seeded Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, who reached her second consecutive WTA 1000 quarter-final, with a straight-sets win over Ashlyn Krueger. “I’m super happy to get this win in straight sets and happy with the level I played today,” said Sabalenka. “She’s a tough opponent, and we had a lot of tough and tricky matches in the past. So I was very happy to get through this one,” she added.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini enjoyed a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win over Naomi Osaka in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Since her comeback from maternity leave 15 months ago, Osaka has been showing some signs of getting back towards her best, but Paolini was the first top 10 player Osaka has faced this year. “I don’t think that I can say that I’ve played a lot of matches against top players like this in a while,” said Osaka. “The way she plays kind of catches me off guard, simply because of her height. I didn’t know she could hit like that,” she added.
Emma Raducanu continued her impressive form in Miami, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 69 minutes over American Amanda Anisimova, who had eliminated Indian Wells winner Mirra Andreeva on Sunday. It is the first time Raducanu has won four straight WTA Tour main draw matches in a row since her US Open triumph in 2021. She will face American Jessica Pegula next. Raducanu, who has brought in some old faces from the early days of her career for this tournament, said she was benefitting from their presence. “I’m really happy with how things are on and off the court right now and just so happy that’s able to transfer on to the match court,” she said.
Alexandra Eala, the 19-year-old from the Philippines who upset Australian Open champion Madison Keys on Sunday, was handed a place in the quarter-finals after her fourth-round opponent, Spain’s Paula Badosa, pulled out with a lower back injury. In the last eight, Eala will face second seed Iga Swiatek, who battled past Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
© 2024 AFP
