Sabalenka downs Ann Li in straight sets, seeks to accomplish the Sunshine double

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is seeking to be the fifth woman all-time to accomplish winning the Sunshine double – winning the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open back-to-back. To boot it, she aims to win Miami for the second consecutive year and in her 7-6(5), 6-4 second-round win over American Ann Li on Friday night, she displayed all the qualities necessary to pull that off.

After the one hour, 42-minue win, Sabalenka confessed that while she wasn’t happy with her overall level of play, but she was happy with her response to adversity.

Sabalenka faces American McNally

She led 4-1 early on, but Li pulled even by winning three straight games, which included a hold for 4-4 in which she saved seven break points. After twice holding serve to stay in the set, Li later led Sabalenka at the midway point of the tiebreak, but the top seed won four of the last five points to regain her lead.

After three straight breaks to begin the second set, Sabalenka found her range to deny Li two opportunities for a fourth and lost four points on serve the rest of the way to win her ninth straight opening match at a WTA 1000 event.

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Sabalenka is bidding to be the first player since Ashleigh Barty in 2019 and 2021 to win back-to-back Miami Open crowns (there was no tournament in 2020) and the second woman this decade to do the Sunshine Double after Iga Swiatek in 2022.

Sabalenka faces another American in Caty McNally next. After two first-round exits in Miami previously, McNally followed up an opening win over Rebeka Masarova with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 upset of No. 29 seed Wang Xinyu.

Coco comes from behind to pip Elisabetta

When Coco Gauff last took the court, her week ended abruptly, forced to retire against Alexandra Eala in the third round of Indian Wells with an arm issue that left her status for the Miami Open uncertain.

Coco Gauff’s win came despite a few uneven patches on serve, including 11 double faults, but she was steadier in key moments. Pic: Tennis365

For a moment, she considered not playing at all. “Every day it’s different, but I think for the most part I will be fine playing this tournament,” Gauff said ahead of the event. “I might feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day.”

Playing at home ultimately tipped the balance. After dropping the opening set and struggling to find rhythm against Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s early timing, Gauff regrouped and worked her way through a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Round of 64 comeback win at Hard Rock Stadium.

The match was delayed for several hours as more rain rolled through, the second disruption in three days, before play resumed.

Gauff’s win came despite a few uneven patches on serve, including 11 double faults, but she was steadier in key moments. She won 63 percent of her service points, and while the margins elsewhere were slim — 21 winners to Cocciaretto’s 23 and 39 unforced errors to 36, Gauff managed the bigger points more effectively as the match wore on.

Plenty of drama in Amanda’s second round win over Ajla

There was plenty of drama on the court and off it too. A missed match point, an ill-timed rain delay, and a screamer of a winner to finally close out a rollercoaster encounter: No. 3 seed Amanda Anisimova’s 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 defeat of Ajla Tomljanovic in the Miami Open second round had it all.

Amanda Anisimova will next face qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva as she bids to return to the Miami fourth round for the second time. Pic: USOpen.org

The 33-minute opening set, for instance: despite landing just 50% of her first serves, Anisimova was still dominant, in large part due to her ability to find breathtaking return winners when she needed them.

Her third match point, too. Having led 5-2 in the third set, Anisimova found Tomljanovic mounting another late charge to get back on serve. She held the Australian off in style, a gorgeously timed backhand winner down the line, struck off a Tomljanovic drive volley. That sealed her first win over Tomljanovic in three meetings and exorcised the memory of their most recent prior encounter in the 2021 San Jose first round, which Anisimova lost 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 from 6-1, 5-3 up after holding two match points.

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Anisimova will next face qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva as she bids to return to the Miami fourth round for the second time.

Victoria dominates Anna despite rain delay

Unfazed by an early rain delay, No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko dominated Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the Miami Open third round for the first time.

The match was initially supposed to start at 10:30 a.m., one of the first on Friday, but was pushed back due to rain. Then, after Mboko and Blinkova traded breaks in the second and third games of the first set, a sudden downpour halted play. Mboko retreated to the locker room for some cards, a go-to activity that keeps her calm during breaks and prevents any overthinking. (She prefers to stay off her phone in such situations).

Victoria Mboko hit four aces and 32 winners in an overpowering performance. Pic: WTA Tour

When they resumed close to 1:00 p.m., Mboko certainly seemed calm. She also seemed determined and loose, coming out of the gate firing and wasting no time taking control of the match. She lost one more game in the first set but took the final eight games of the match to lock down the commanding straight-sets win.

She hit four aces and 32 winners in an overpowering performance. She also handled Blinkova’s serve exceptionally well, winning over 70 percent of her first-serve return points and converting six of her seven break-point opportunities.

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This was the first career meeting between Blinkova and Mboko on the WTA Tour. It’s only Mboko’s second time playing the Miami Open. She reached the second-round last year, beating Camilia Osorio before falling to Paula Badosa in a third-set tiebreaker.

Next up for Mboko is Anastasia Zakharova, who upset 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya. Mboko and Zakharova have never played each other.

Mirra pushed to three sets by Kessler

Mirra Andreeva appeared to have everything under control in the first set of her second-round match in Miami against McCartney Kessler. She needed just 21 minutes to grab the opener 6-1 in commanding fashion. But things tightened from there. The 18-year-old was pushed to three sets by the American, yet after an emotional exit in Indian Wells, Andreeva was intent on delivering a different outcome. She did just that, closing out a 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-1 victory in the early hours of Friday morning.

Mirra Andreeva finished with 24 winners to 21 unforced errors, blending timely aggression with a commitment to keeping the ball in play against an opponent eager to take her own chances. Kessler finished with 25 winners but 36 unforced errors. Pic: Finance Saathi

Andreeva finished with 24 winners to 21 unforced errors, blending timely aggression with a commitment to keeping the ball in play against an opponent eager to take her own chances. Kessler finished with 25 winners but 36 unforced errors.

Forehand, backhand, even the occasional drop shot, everything was working for Andreeva as she earned her first victory on Stadium in Miami.

Next up for Andreeva is a date with No. 32 seed Marie Bouzkova in the third round. She leads the head-to-head 3-0, with all three wins coming in straight sets.