Monday brought a challenging day for American women at the Miami Open as Coco Gauff, the third seed, was upset by unseeded Magda Linette in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, losing her chance to advance to the quarterfinals. The defending champion Danielle Collins, along with Amanda Anisimova and Ashlyn Krueger, also faced straight-set defeats.
Gauff had a particularly rough time with her serve, recording 12 double-faults and managing to get only 50% of her first serves in, leading to a slew of unforced errors. Although the South Florida fans showed their support, especially when Gauff was leading 4-3 in the second set, Linette stayed composed and clinched her first victory over a top-three player since 2021.
Reflecting on her strategy, Linette shared, “Pushing Coco’s serve was key in maintaining pressure on her.” In the next round, Linette will face Italian sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, who vanquished Japan’s Naomi Osaka after a three-set battle, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Other women’s matches also saw big plays. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka commanded her match against Collins, hitting 23 winners, including seven aces, to advance to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win. Sabalenka is set to face Qinwen Zheng next, who overpowered Krueger 6-2, 7-6 (3). Sabalenka, currently holding the world No. 1 position, has the upper hand against Zheng, having won all five of their previous encounters.
Former champion Iga Swiatek emerged victorious in a tight encounter against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, winning 7-6 (5), 6-3 after midnight. Swiatek wrapped up her night by scribbling “time to sleep” on a camera lens. Her next opponent will be Alexandra Eala, benefiting from a walkover after Paula Badosa withdrew due to a back injury.
Jessica Pegula was the beacon for the American women, rallying to win the last six games against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, scoring a straightforward 6-2, 6-3 victory. The No. 4 seed Pegula will face Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who sailed past Anisimova 6-1, 6-3 in the humid Miami weather.
Raducanu didn’t lose a single point on her serve in the first set and closed the match with a well-crafted rally on match point. This marks her first appearance in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and she anticipates a challenging encounter with Pegula. Reflecting on her performance, Raducanu noted, “It’s going to be a tough match, but I’m playing solid tennis right now. I’m content with my progress and driven by my rekindled competitive edge.”
This report was aided by Reuters.
