Swiatek overcomes Mertens to join Svitolina in the round of 16

Shaken for a set, Iga Swiatek prevailed over Elise Mertens (7-6, 6-1) in the third round of the WTA 1000 in Miami this Sunday.

The Polish player, world No. 2, quickly made the difference on the scoreboard in the first set, but Mertens, as she did against Keys in Indian Wells, gave Swiatek a hard time.

Trailing 5-2, the Belgian fought back to force a tie-break, which she ultimately lost 7-2. The second set was one-sided, with Swiatek quickly securing a double break to cruise to victory.

In the round of 16 tomorrow, she will face Elina Svitolina, who defeated Karolina Muchova in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-2). The Ukrainian, in good form since the start of the season (quarter-finalist in Melbourne, round of 16 in Indian Wells), will return to the Top 20 after the tournament.

In head-to-head matchups, Swiatek leads with two wins to one, but the two players have not faced each other in over a year, with their last match dating back to the Dubai tournament last year.