World number one Iga Swiatek kept her cool to beat 26th-ranked Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-4 at the WTA Miami Open on Sunday.
A day after Swiatek’s closest rival, Aryna Sabalenka, was eliminated from the tournament, the Pole faced a real test from Noskova.
The Czech surprised Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open before the four-time Grand Slam winner took his revenge at Indian Wells.
The third meeting this year between the two men was, unsurprisingly, a close affair.
After working hard to recover from her first-set tiebreak loss and bringing the match into a deciding frame, Swiatek found herself facing three break points as she served for the match leading 5-4 .
But she stepped up her game to win the next five points and celebrated with a fist pump toward her dressing room.
” It was not easy. There were a lot of ups and downs, Swiatek said. “I’m happy that I had a better idea of what to do after the first set, and I just tried to do it in the important moments. Sometimes we have matches like that and we have to still figure out how to close them.
Swiatek, who is seeking to become the second woman to win the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami, will face 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16 on Monday. Alexandrova qualified with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Fly with Caro ✈️🇫🇷
Garcia beats Osaka 7-6(4), 7-5 and will next face Gauff! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/yTKmM2nPZy
– Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 24, 2024
France’s Caroline Garcia advanced to a fourth-round match against world number three Coco Gauff with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 victory Sunday over Naomi Osaka.
It was a hard-hitting match, with both men sharing 28 aces and Osaka having to fight back to win the first set until the tie-break, saving three set points.
Garcia secured the tiebreak with a forehand winner, but found herself trailing Osaka 4-2 in the second before clawing back.
While Osaka served at 5, Garcia forced two break points, converting the second.
Coco Gauff after beating Dodin in Miami:
Coco: “I’m really happy to be here in South Florida, it’s where I grew up. I have a lot of family there and there” 😂
*crowd applauds*
Coco: “It’s really nice to play in front of them and in front of our audience. » ❤️ pic.twitter.com/1Zm7xH4fBN
– The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 24, 2024
Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, lost 4-2 in the first set to Frenchwoman Océane Dodin before winning 10 straight matches and winning 6-4, 6-0.
Gauff said she expected a tough match against Garcia.
” She is hard. We all know how she plays. Takes the ball very early and plays very aggressively,” she said.
Fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 6-4 to set up a fourth-round clash with in-form compatriot Emma Navarro.
Fernandez broke to take a 5-3 lead in the first set, but Pegula responded perfectly, winning four straight games to win the set.
Both players struggled to hold serve in the second set, with the first seven games going against serve, but Pegula ultimately held on to lead 5-3 and she held the final game to love to secure the victory.
Pegula will play Navarro
50 – Jessica Pegula won her 50th hard court match in WTA-1000 events; since her first victory in such a tournament at Indian Wells 2019, only Iga Swiatek (60) has won as many matches, or more. Milestone. #MiamiOpen | @MiamiOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/pd7CQIaIHk
– OptaAce (@OptaAce) March 24, 2024
Pegula, the top-ranked American, will face the rising star of American women’s tennis in Navarro, who beat 12th-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 3-6, 6-0.
Paolini, who won the WTA 1000 Series event in Dubai earlier this year, faded after fighting back in the second set while Navarro confirmed her status as one of the most improved players on the tour.
With her 20th victory of the season, a record broken only by Swiatek, Navarro is enjoying the most successful campaign of her career, having won her first WTA title in Hobart in January.
Pegula said the conviction that comes from such a string of results will make her a tough opponent.
“That feeling of winning a lot of matches, it’s really difficult to beat people like that and even if you beat them, it’s never easy,” she said.
“It’ll be a really good test for me to see where I’m at given she’s probably one of the hottest players on tour at the moment.”
The rise of the 20th seed impressed Gauff.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised she’s in the top 20. I would say (more) maybe how fast,” Gauff said.
“She’s a great athlete. She is a very intelligent player, she gives the best players a hard time. Not someone you want to see at the start of the tournament.
