Sabalenka defeated in Miami, Alcaraz gets off to a flying start
It's been a traumatic week for world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who was beaten in three sets in the 3rd round of the Miami Open by Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina on Saturday.
The 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 victory by Kalinina, ranked 36th in the world, prompted Sabalenka, who had hitherto kept her emotions under control at Hard Rock Stadium, to smash her racket violently on the court.
On Monday, the Belarussian's former boyfriend, ex-NHL (ice hockey) player Konstantin Koltsov, died in Miami, with police ruling it an "apparent suicide". The two had been a couple until recently, and Sabalenka only announced their recent break-up after the death.
On Friday, Sabalenka had appeared to be in control of the situation, beating her friend, Spain's Paula Badosa, in two sets (6-4, 6-3). But she appeared more tense on Saturday, struggling to find any consistency.
After conceding the 1st set, she completely dominated Kalinina in the 2nd, her serve and powerful backhand completely overpowering the Ukrainian. But once Kalinina had broken in the 3rd set, Sabalenka lost her concentration and composure, and her opponent took full advantage.
"It was really tough on the nerves. But I managed to handle the difficult moments," said Kalinina. "So I'm a bit proud of myself today.
Prior to that, world No.1 Iga Swiatek had no trouble dismissing Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-1, in a day of big names jostling for position, not least due to the multitude of matches postponed by rain on Friday.
"I felt very confident and just wanted to see how I would adapt to the surface. I felt comfortable, so I'm happy," said Swiatek.
Japan's Noami Osaka continued her current good momentum with a 6-2, 7-6(5) win over world No. 17 Elina Svitolina, in a match between two women returning to the tour after giving birth.
No.6 seed Ons Jabeur continued her poor run of form against Russia's Elina Avanesyan, aged 21 and ranked 65th in the world, losing 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
Elena Rybakina qualified for the last 16 after a tough battle with American Taylor Townsend. The latter, ranked 72nd in the world, won the 2nd set in a tie-break, which led to a hard-fought deciding set, before the Kazakh won 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-4 in 2 hours and 22 minutes.
On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz, seeded n°1, was simply too strong for his compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena, winning 6-2, 6-1 in 85 minutes.
- Sunshine Double
Like Swiatek, Alcaraz is looking to complete the "Sunshine Double" (winning Indian Wells and Miami in succession) after his victory in Indian Wells last week. And, as in the Californian desert, the two-time Grand Slam winner was in sparkling form.
The 20-year-old took the upper hand right from the start, powerful from the baseline and at the same time forward-thinking, with 10 winners to 1 in the 1st set.
He saved all three break points he had to defend against his opponent, ranked 64th in the world, who occasionally managed to cause him problems, but was generally not disappointed by the response.
In the next round, Alcaraz will face Gaël Monfils, who beat Australian Jordan Thompson 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-2.
Italy's Jannik Sinner, world No. 3 and Australian Open winner, got off to a confident start in Florida, beating fellow qualifier Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev also qualified for the 3rd round, beating Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 6-2.
By contrast, it was a difficult day for the Americans.
Taylor Fritz was beaten by Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild in two sets (6-3, 6-4). And three of the four highest-ranked Americans were eliminated from the tournament.
Fritz's premature defeat came shortly after Francis Tiafoe had been eliminated by another lower-ranked player, Australian Christopher O'Connell. The latter had the nerve to win 7-5, 7-6 (7/5), seeded n°21, in a match that started three hours late due to rain.
Tommy Paul, meanwhile, was forced to retire with an ankle injury against compatriot Martin Damm. Paul had won the first set 6-4 and was trailing 2-1 in the second when he had to throw in the towel.
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded No.10, also went out at Hard Rock Stadium, rather curtly beaten by the reviving Canadian Denis Shapovalov, currently ranked 126th in the world, 6-2, 6-4.
Finally, Britain's Andy Murray, twice titled in Miami, qualified for the 3rd round by defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (7/0), 6-3.
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