Coco Gauff, the third seed, delivered an absolutely commanding performance against her compatriot Sofia Kenin at the Miami Open on Thursday, sailing through with a 6-0, 6-0 win. This dominant display propels the former U.S. Open champion into the third round, showcasing her exceptional form.
Gauff, who has her sights set on capturing her first Miami title, was solid on her serve, winning an impressive 84% of her first serves, staving off the solitary break point against her, and seizing six out of nine break opportunities in a match that wrapped up in just 47 minutes.
Reflecting on her performance, Gauff stated, “I was definitely playing well today, and maybe she wasn’t playing her peak great tennis.” She added, “I don’t think anyone who is playing their best tennis will have that scoreline today, so I’m not going to sit here and say she played her best tennis.”
Next up for Gauff, who experienced an exit in the round of 16 at Indian Wells last week, is Ashlyn Krueger. Krueger caused a major upset by defeating the seventh seed, Elena Rybakina, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, marking her first-ever victory over a top-10 player.
Elsewhere, Aryna Sabalenka, the tournament’s top seed and a two-time Grand Slam champion, returned to the court for her first match since her loss to Mirra Andreeva in the Indian Wells final. Sabalenka dismantled Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova, breaking her serve six times to seal a 6-3, 6-0 victory. She will now face qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the third round. Ruse advanced by ousting the 29th seed from Poland, Magdalena Frech, with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Jasmine Paolini from Italy and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen also advanced in the tournament, along with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who defeated American Alycia Parks 7-6(1), 6-3.
Turning to the men’s competition, Reilly Opelka secured his first ATP Masters 1000 victory since 2022, overcoming American wild card Christopher Eubanks 6-3, 7-6(4). Opelka will face Holger Rune, the Indian Wells finalist, in the next round.
Meanwhile, China’s Bu Yunchaokete cruised past Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-2 without conceding a single break point. Qualifiers Jacob Fearnley and Thiago Agustin Tirante also made it through to the next stage.
In a disappointing turn of events, former finalist Kei Nishikori withdrew from his Miami opener following his run to the semi-finals of an ATP Challenger Tour event just last week. Nishikori shared his thoughts on X, saying, “My body has not recovered enough from the matches last week. I will now go home and get ready for the clay court season.”
