Zheng Upsets Keys, Rybakina Advances at Miami Open
Top Seeds Advance, Zheng Delivers Upset
Qinwen Zheng secured a significant win at the Miami Open on Sunday, defeating American 15th seed Madison Keys. This victory marks Zheng’s first win over a top-20 player since undergoing elbow surgery in July. “Zheng beat American 15th seed Madison Keys to claim her first win over a top-20 player since having elbow surgery in July.”
Rybakina and Pegula Cruise to Round of 16
Third seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the last 16 with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. Kazakhstan’s Rybakina will next face Australian qualifier Talia Gibson, who upset 18th seed Iva Jovic with a 6-2, 6-2 win. Gibson previously defeated former world number one Naomi Osaka in the second round in Miami.
Fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula, last year’s runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka, efficiently defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 in just an hour and six minutes.
Ostapenko Battles to Victory
Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the 2018 Miami Open runner-up, fought back from a set down to secure a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over seventh seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Ostapenko will next play American Hailey Baptiste, who upset ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-5.
Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina all moved into the Miami Open Round of 16 on Sunday, although Qinwen Zheng produced one of the standout results of the session by recovering to beat Madison Keys.
Key Results from Sunday
- Qinwen Zheng def. Madison Keys 2-1
- Elena Rybakina def. Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4
- Jessica Pegula def. Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2
- Jelena Ostapenko def. Jasmine Paolini 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
Looking Ahead
The Miami Open continues to deliver exciting matchups as the tournament progresses. Aryna Sabalenka has won seven of her eight meetings with Olympic champion Zheng.
