Rybakina beats Mertens in Miami for 11th straight win

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan stored her risk of a Sunshine Double alive with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Belgium’s Elise Mertens within the Miami Open Spherical of 16 on Monday.

No.10 seed Rybakina, who claimed the primary WTA 1000 title of her profession at Indian Wells per week in the past, notched her eleventh straight match-win by defeating Thirty ninth-ranked Mertens in 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Within the quarterfinals, Rybakina will meet No.25 seed Martina Trevisan of Italy, who defeated No.24 seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 6-3. Rybakina and Trevisan will face off for the primary time as they every search their first Miami Open semifinal.

Learn extra: Pegula beats Linette to return to Miami quarterfinals

Rybakina roll continues: Rybakina provides one other victory to her stirring begin of the season. She has compiled a 2023 win-loss report of 19-4, together with a visit to the Australian Open closing. Rybakina is presently at her career-high rating of World No.7 following her run to the title in Indian Wells.

Rybakina and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka are actually tied for essentially the most match-wins on the Hologic WTA Tour this 12 months with 19 apiece, though Sabalenka may win her twentieth on Monday evening when she faces Barbora Krejcikova.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Rybakina continues to be within the working to drag off the Sunshine Double by successful final week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back. She needed to stave off one match level in her earlier spherical in opposition to Paula Badosa to get this far.

Match moments: Mertens grabbed the primary service break on Monday, changing her fourth break level of the 3-3 sport. However two double faults by Mertens within the following sport gave Rybakina an opportunity to interrupt proper again, which she took with a putaway within the forecourt.

Rybakina had one other stable return sport at 5-4, the place she held three set factors. On her third alternative, Rybakina used her energy performs to power an error lengthy and seize the primary set from a break down.

Rybakina received one other prolonged sport within the second set, breaking for 2-0 on her fourth break level of that sport by forcing a Mertens lob lengthy with a sturdy volley. That was the ultimate break of the day, with Rybakina erasing the 4 break factors she confronted at 3-1 within the second set.

With the win, Rybakina improved her head-to-head report in opposition to Mertens to 3-1. Rybakina slammed 10 aces within the match and had a complete of 25 winners to 22 unforced errors. Mertens had the identical variety of unforced errors however solely 19 winners.

First WTA 1000 quarterfinal for Trevisan 

Earlier, Trevisan booked a spot within the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 occasion for the primary time in her profession along with her win over former Miami Open finalist Ostapenko.

The 29-year-old’s greatest prior consequence at this degree got here final fall in Guadalajara, the place she reached the third spherical. However in her first profession assembly in opposition to the 2017 Roland Garros champion, and her tenth WTA 1000 main-draw look general, Trevisan eased to a 1 hour, 30-minute victory to interrupt new floor.

Highlights: Trevisan def. Ostapenko

Making her main-draw debut in Miami, Trevisan is the primary Italian to get this far within the singles draw on the match in a decade, courting again to when Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci made up 1 / 4 of the final eight in 2013.

“It means rather a lot as a result of I by no means received a match right here,” Trevisan mentioned. “Match after match I am amassing expertise that is serving to me rather a lot, particularly in one of these match if you play in opposition to an necessary participant like Ostapenko. She has a number of expertise, greater than me.”

This week additionally marks the primary time that Trevisan, a semifinalist at Roland Garros final spring, has received three straight matches since her best-ever main end in Paris. 

After breaking Ostapenko thrice en path to successful the primary set, Trevisan responded effectively to falling behind 2-0 within the second set. She received 5 straight video games, together with a vital, five-deuce seventh sport the place she saved 4 break factors that might’ve gotten Ostapenko again on serve. 

Extra to come back….