Tsitsipas, with Big Three missing, makes 4th round in Miami

MIAMI (AP) — For tennis up-and-comers like Stefanos Tsitsipas, the draw on the Miami Open began to look a lot less daunting even earlier than the match started.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer withdrew due to accidents, and Novak Djokovic determined in opposition to making the journey from his native Serbia. They stayed house with their 58 Grand Slam trophies.

“It’s a primary check to see how it’s enjoying with out them,” Tsitsipas mentioned after his third-round victory Saturday. “There’s going to be a time sooner or later the place that is going to be extra frequent and taking place extra often, and possibly even a normal quickly. So, yeah, we get a style of how it’s enjoying with out them.”

The No. 2-seeded Tsitsipas is amongst these with one of the best probability to take benefit, and he looked the part in opposition to Damir Dzumhur, successful 6-1, 6-4.

Ranked a career-high No. 5, Tsitsipas improved to 15-4 this 12 months — and 2-3 lifetime in opposition to Dzumhur. The 22-year-old Greek used his serve to dominate Dzumhur, who by no means had a break level.

“I created plenty of alternatives with my serve — I wasn’t dashing in any respect, discovering the suitable angles and executing it completely,” Tsitsipas mentioned. “Even with my second serve I felt like I did plenty of harm, not giving him an opportunity to press first and apply strain along with his pictures.”

Tsitsipas will subsequent face No. 28 Kei Nishikori, who outlasted Aljaz Bedene 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4.

Two different title contenders, No. 4 Andrey Rublev and No. 6 Denis Shapovalov, superior in evening matches.

Rublev did not convert three match factors within the last sport after which needed to sit for a one-hour rain delay earlier than closing out his victory over Tennys Sandgren, 6-1, 6-2. Shapovalov additionally endured a rain interruption within the third set earlier than ending off Ilya Ivashka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.

Sebastian Korda, a 20-year-old American, fueled the excitement constructing concerning his potential by rallying previous No. 17-ranked Fabio Fognini 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Fognini is the highest-ranked participant Korda has crushed.

In girls’s play, top-ranked Ash Barty and three-time champion Victoria Azarenka superior to a spherical of 16 showdown.

Barty beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 and had a a lot simpler time than within the earlier spherical, when she saved a match level to beat qualifier Kristina Kucova. That was Barty’s first match away from her native Australian since February 2020.

She stored Ostapenko on the transfer and on the defensive, pulling within the former French Open champion and shifting her back and forth.

Barty is the defending champion because the 2019 winner. The match was canceled final 12 months in the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 14th-seeded Azarenka beat No. 24 Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-2. The match was Azarenka’s first this week after a bye and walkover. She gained Miami in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

No. 3-seeded Simona Halep withdrew earlier than her third-round match due to a proper shoulder harm.

Wild card Ana Konjuh upset No. 15 Iga Swiatek. Konjuh’s profession has been slowed by 4 elbow surgical procedures, and this week she has earned her first three wins in main-draw WTA play since 2018.

“It has been irritating the previous couple of years, simply having been by all these surgical procedures and comebacks and simply by no means getting it proper,” Konjuh mentioned. “So simply to be again, , wholesome and to compete at this stage, it means so much.”

No. 5 Elina Svitolina eradicated No. 30 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (1), 6-4, and No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka ousted No. 32 Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (4), 6-4.

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