De Minaur Ends Fonseca Challenge, Zverev Marches On In Miami

Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open was overshadowed by Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who won 5-7, 7-5, and 6-3 in a thrilling match.

Despite being sparse on Monday, the Hard Rock Stadium transformed into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s game, complete with Brazilian flags and football-style chanting.

De Minaur was up to the challenge, surviving both the blistering forehands and the partisan crowd, even though Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis.

Also read: Zverev makes a march in Osaka Falls and Miami.

Fonseca’s raucous support was so dominant that the referee switched to Portuguese for his quiet appeals.

But de Minaur managed to get through the fourth round by winning six of his final seven games, despite the fact that his serve preparation was sometimes hampered by the crowd.

De Minaur said, “Mentally I was ready for this match, I knew I was going to play against an incredible talent like Joao, playing with incredible confidence and having no problems,” as well as an incredible crowd that was on his side from beginning to end.

He continued, “One of my biggest strengths is my mentality, and that is what gave me the win today.”

Alexander Zverev, the top seed, defeated Australia’s Jordan Thompson 7-5, 6-4 to advance from a slow start to the Miami Open.

The German started off strong, going on a run, winning eight of the next nine games to advance, going 4-1 down in the first set.

Zverev suffered a first-round defeat at Indian Wells, but Carlos Alcaraz is already competing in Miami, making it one of his top seven Masters 1000 victories.

Third-seed Taylor Fritz defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 6-3, to advance to the fourth round.

The American slipped into a 5-2 lead in the opening set before regaining control with a serve that proved too difficult for Shapovalov.

Third-seed Coco Gauff’s bid came to an end with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Poland’s Magda Linette in the women’s draw.

Aryna Sabalenka, the top-seeded American, defeated American Danielle Collins of the USA 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the last eight.

Zheng Qinwen, who reached her second consecutive WTA 1000 quarter-final with a straight-sets win over Ashlyn Krueger, will face Sabalenka in the next match.

Sabalenka expressed her excitement at winning in straight sets and at today’s level.

She is a tough opponent, and we’ve played a lot of difficult and difficult matches before. So I’m happy to have finished this one,” she continued.

Osaka sinks by Paolini

In 2 hours and 15 minutes, Jasmine Paolini, an Italian, defeated Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4, and 6-4 in a comeback victory.

Osaka has been showing some signs of improvement since returning from maternity leave 15 months ago, but Paolini was the first top 10 player to face this year.

Osaka said, “I don’t think I’ve played a lot of matches against top players like this in a while.”

“I’m kind of caught off guard by the way she plays, purely due to her height. She added, “I didn’t know she could strike that way.”

Emma Raducanu defeated American Amanda Anisimova, who had defeated Mirra Andreeva on Sunday, to claim a 6-1, 6-3 victory in Miami.

Since her 2021 success at the US Open, Raducanu has won four straight WTA Tour main draw matches. Next up will be Jessica Pegula from the United States.

Some of the familiar faces from her early career for this tournament, according to Raducanu, helped her win at the tournament.

She said, “I’m really happy with how things are right now on and off the court, and I’m also happy that the match court is accessible.”

After her fourth-round opponent, Spain’s Paula Badosa, pulled out with a lower back injury, Alexandra Eala, a 19-year-old from the Philippines, defeated Australian Open champion Madison Keys on Sunday, was given a spot in the quarter-finals.

In the final eight, Eala will face second-seed Iga Swiatek, who defeated Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 7-6 (7/5) 6-3.

Source: Channels TV