Miami Open: Sabalenka, Rybakina, Gauff advance in women’s singles

Miami [US], March 21 (ANI): The 2026 Miami Open saw several notable results in the women's singles Round of 64 on Saturday, with top names moving into the second round and a major upset shaking up the draw.
Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka began her campaign with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-4 win over Ann Li at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Sabalenka's victory sets her up for a second-round clash against Caty McNally as she aims to make a deep run in the WTA 1000 event.
World No. 3 Elena Rybakina registered a comfortable straight-sets victory over Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-3 to move into the next round of the ongoing Miami Open.
Rising Canadian tennis star Victoria Mboko thrashed Anna Blinkova, 6-2, 6-0, as she rolled through her second-round match in the ongoing tournament. She will now face Anastasia Zakharova in the women's singles round of 32 clash.
World No. 4 Coco Gauff defeated Italy's Elsabetta Cocciaretto in a hard-fought game which lasted two hours and 15 minutes. Gauff clinched the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to move into the next round.
In other women's singles fixtures, Elina Svitolina, who is ranked World No. 9, qualified for the round of 32 after defeating Emerson Jones in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
Meanwhile, World No.1 and Spain sensation Carlos Alcaraz had a fine start to his men's singles Miami Open campaign, with a win over 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in the first round on Friday night.
Alcaraz and Fonseca, both of them at their aggressive best, produced a booming sound when the ball connected with their racquets and enthralled the fans in Miami in their well-contested first-ever ATP Head-to-Head meeting. It was Alcaraz who came out on top by 6-4, 6-4.
Fonseca got some strong support from the Brazilians in the crowd as he put in a spirited fight against the world number one. Alcaraz's experience, class and maturity ultimately came out on top against Fonseca's ferocity.
Following the match, Alcaraz said as quoted by ATP's official website, "I think I was really good in crucial moments. I was really good since the beginning until the last ball. I know how good Joao is, and that is why I was really focused, every point, every shot.
"I am just happy to stay calm, to stay positive in those moments. Most of the games, I just served pretty well, which was a really great weapon today for me," he added.
Fonseca has lost to both world number one Alcaraz and world number two Jannik Sinner at successive ATP Masters 1000 competitions.
During the Indian Wells competition, Fonseca gave Sinner a scare by forcing two tie-breaks, but the four-time Grand Slam champion grinded out a win. In both matches, Fonseca's fighting spirit, raw power and ferocious gameplay were evident. (ANI)