Miami (AFP) – Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka kept their “Sunshine Double” dreams alive with emphatic victories at the ATP/WTA Miami Open on Monday as defending men’s champion Jakub Mensik joined a slew of seeds who crashed out. Sinner and Sabalenka are bidding to join an elite band of players who have won Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back, and arrived in Florida brimming with confidence after their respective victories in the California desert earlier this month.
Women’s world number one Sabalenka, defending the Miami title she won for the first time last year, cruised into the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 demolition of China’s 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. Sinner, who is chasing a second victory in Miami after lifting the title in 2024, was similarly comfortable in his third-round clash with French 30th seed Corentin Moutet, winning 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the last 16.
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Sabalenka is aiming to become only the fifth woman to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double after Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Swiatek. On Monday’s form, few would bet against the big-hitting four-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus, who comfortably disposed of 23rd seed Zheng in 1hr 25min.
“She’s a tough opponent and I’m super happy with the level I played at today,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “I can definitely say that it felt like home. I feel like I’m getting better, serving better, getting used to these conditions, which are tricky. But I’m getting more and more comfortable with every match,” added Sabalenka, who faces unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals.
Baptiste was one of three American women to advance to the last eight on Monday. Fourth seed Coco Gauff downed Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, while fifth seed Jessica Pegula beat another Romanian, Jacqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-1. Canada’s Victoria Mboko, seeded 10, upset Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-0 to set up a quarter-final with Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova, who strolled past Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 6-0, 6-2.
– Sinner stroll, Mensik falls –
In the men’s draw, Italian second seed Sinner was always in control against France’s Moutet on the Hard Rock Stadium’s main court. Sinner will face unseeded American Alex Michelsen in the last 16. Michelsen defeated Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier Monday.
But while Sinner sailed through, defending champion Jakub Mensik was among the latest crop of seeds to tumble out, losing a gruelling three-setter against 19th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (13/11). A 2hr 55min slug-fest was decided by a marathon third set tiebreak when Czech 20-year-old Mensik saved six match points before finally succumbing. US hope Tiafoe, who himself saved two match points in the final tiebreak, sealed victory after converting his seventh match point when a Mensik return of serve drifted wide.
Tiafoe will face France’s Terence Atmane in the last 16. Atmane powered into the fourth round with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 upset of Canadian seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday. Auger-Aliassime joined a lengthening list of seeds who have stumbled in the early rounds in Miami that includes Indian Wells runner-up Daniil Medvedev, who was shown the door earlier Monday in a 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 loss to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
Medvedev’s exit followed the departures of world number one Carlos Alcaraz, Australian fifth seed Alex De Minaur, and eighth seed Ben Shelton. Another French player, 31st seed Ugo Humbert, beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 7-6 (7/2). Third seed Alexander Zverev got past Croatian veteran Marin Cilic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
© 2024 AFP
