Miami Open: Week 1 Highlights

The first few days of the Miami Open were surprisingly predictable, unlike the usual March Madness chaos. While the top four men`s semifinalists from Indian Wells were unexpectedly defeated early in South Florida, the highly ranked women players mostly lived up to expectations.

However, Sunday witnessed a significant upset when a young Filipino player stunned the competition. Alexandra Eala, a teenager, defeated Australian Open champion Madison Keys in straight sets. This was a major shock, considering Keys was ranked 135 places above Eala in the WTA rankings. Eala has now won more main-draw matches in Miami than any other player from the Philippines in the Open Era.

Despite this upset, by Sunday evening, the Sweet 16 round looked quite familiar. Five of the top six seeded players are still in contention: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini. Defending champion Danielle Collins, four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu also remain in the tournament.

All eight Round of 16 matches are scheduled for Monday. If you`re a tennis fan, it`s worth tuning in, even if it means working from home or taking a day off!

For those who have been following the Miami Open, and especially for those who haven`t, here`s a recap of the first week and a preview of what`s to come.

Week 1 Superlatives

Serving up a clean shutout

Coco Gauff achieved her second “double bagel” victory at the tour level, defeating Sofia Kenin 6-0, 6-0. Her first was against Arantxa Rus in Madrid last year. Gauff continued her strong performance by also defeating Maria Sakkari. Her strategy? Not focusing on achieving those rare 6-0 sets.

Gauff mentioned she avoided thinking about the shutout as it`s a very infrequent occurrence.

Match of the Week

Naomi Osaka won a thrilling third-round match against qualifier Hailey Baptiste 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4. In the third set, Baptiste was serving to level the score at 5-5 and reached deuce, but Osaka won the crucial next two points to clinch the match. Osaka won a total of 112 points, just two more than Baptiste, in a marathon match lasting nearly three hours.

Osaka commented that she has played several tough matches this year and believes her fighting spirit helped her win. She realized that these kinds of matches are essential to becoming one of the greats.

Despite being a four-time Grand Slam champion already, this performance suggests Osaka is regaining her top form after returning from maternity leave.

Breathtaking breakthrough

While Alexandra Eala`s victory was the main talking point, another young player, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko from Canada, also achieved her first tour-level win against Camila Osorio in the first round. Although Mboko lost to Paula Badosa in a close three-set match, she boasts an impressive 28-2 record this year, including five ITF titles.

Point of the tournament

The best point of the tournament so far goes to Viktoriya Tomova in her match against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Numbers don’t lie

Best stat (by far)

According to Nicolò Tonato from Stats Perform, the match between Emma Navarro and Emma Raducanu marked the first time since 2008 at the Miami Open that two players with the same first name competed against each other. The last instance was Elena Vesnina vs. Elena Likhovtseva.

Another notable stat: Iga Swiatek is the first player to reach the Round of 16 in 25 consecutive WTA 1000 events since the format was introduced in 2009.

Out of service

Elena Rybakina, the No. 7 seed, won an incredible 22 consecutive service points against Ashlyn Krueger, including all 16 points in the second set. Despite this dominant serving performance, she still lost the match.

Retro moment

Thirteen years after competing in the Australian Open junior girls` singles final, Taylor Townsend and Yulia Putintseva faced off again in the second round of the Miami Open. Townsend won this encounter with a close scoreline of 7-6 (2), 1-6, 6-1, similar to their junior final score.

An ode to Andreeva

Quote of the Week

“I still can’t believe that it happened so fast because it was one of my dreams. Now that it already happened, I feel like … what am I supposed to do now?” – Mirra Andreeva, reflecting on her rapid success.

But …

Mirra Andreeva`s impressive run was halted by Amanda Anisimova in a late-night match that lasted almost three hours.

Still …

Despite her Miami journey ending, Mirra Andreeva achieved another kind of victory last week: recognition from LeBron James.

The 17-year-old has been inspired by the NBA legend throughout the season, quoting his mindset and relying on his words during matches. After defeating Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells, she mentioned him again, and this time, LeBron noticed.

He reposted her quote on Instagram, congratulating her and acknowledging her hard work and dedication. This message significantly boosted her spirits.

Andreeva expressed her excitement about LeBron`s message, planning to print it and put it on her wall, recognizing it as a rare and special acknowledgment.

Overall, it was a remarkable week for Andreeva, even without a tournament win in Miami.

Odds, ends & aces

An (underhanded) surprise

Marta Kostyuk, leading 6-2, 5-1 and on match point, surprised everyone by serving underhand against Anna Blinkova. It worked, securing her the win.

Living on the edge

Kimberly Birrell and Alycia Parks both won their first-round matches after saving match points against Anastasia Potapova and Varvara Gracheva, respectively.

Ask me again in 10 years

While mothers on the WTA Tour are gaining prominence, Aryna Sabalenka clarified that she has no immediate plans to become a mother herself. When asked about it, she joked that her team gets stressed by the question. However, she added that it gives her hope for the future, maybe in 5, 7, or 10 years.

Hut-hut!

Emma Raducanu seems to be finding her form again after a challenging few years since her US Open victory. Part of her improved performance might be attributed to a new warmup routine involving throwing a football with her strength coach, Yutaka Nakamura.

Raducanu explained that her American trainer taught her to throw a football, and she`s been focusing on perfecting her spiral technique.

When jokingly asked if she could help the Miami Dolphins, Raducanu laughed and declined.

Raducanu dominated her third-round match, only dropping one game before McCartney Kessler retired due to injury.

Looking ahead: Monday’s blockbuster schedule

Monday`s Miami Open schedule is packed with exciting matches featuring Grand Slam champions and rising stars, potentially making it the most exciting day of the tournament.

Key matches include:

• No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 14 Danielle Collins
• No. 2 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 22 Elina Svitolina
• No. 3 Coco Gauff vs. Magda Linette
• No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 23 Marta Kostyuk
• No. 6 Jasmine Paolini vs. Naomi Osaka
• No. 9 Zheng Qinwen vs. Ashlyn Krueger
• No. 10 Paula Badosa vs. Alexandra Eala
• No. 17 Amanda Anisimova vs. Emma Raducanu

Which leads us to wonder…