MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Sixth-seeded Coco Gauff opened her 2023 Miami Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory about Rebecca Marino on Thursday and advanced to the third round the place she will facial area 27th-seeded Anastasia Potapova.
After her victory, Gauff, coming off a quarterfinals overall look at Indian Wells, stated in a television job interview that it wasn’t her greatest outing, regardless of changing 5 of her 9 break details.
“It was a shaky performances actually,” Gauff stated. “I knew it was not heading to be a straight forward match, even if I was up a crack in some cases.”
Gauff came back again from a split down twice in the next set to claim her 2nd occupation earn vs . Marino. Gauff defeated Marino in the initially round at Roland Garros in 2022.
Gauff stated she was a little bit anxious playing in her hometown — she’s a native of Delray Beach front, Florida, a tiny city about 40 miles north of Hard Rock Stadium, exactly where the event is performed. Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat was amongst all those in attendance Thursday.
“Jimmy Butler is right here so I was a minimal little bit nervous when I saw him,” Gauff mentioned with a snicker in her publish-match job interview. “Playing property is one thing I search ahead to, but it is also a minor bit of more force due to the fact everyone wants you to do nicely in this article.”
Gauff’s doubles teammate, entire world No. 3 Jessica Pegula defeat Katherine Sebov 6-3, 6-1 and highly developed to the third spherical. She will facial area fellow American and No. 30 Danielle Collins following. Collins defeated Viktoriya Tomova on Thursday.
Pegula manufactured the Miami Open up semifinals in 2022 and is amongst the favorites to win the event this yr just after No. 1-rated and defending champion Iga Swiatek pulled out of the tournament because of a rib harm.
No. 21 Paula Badosa won 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2 in opposition to Laura Siegemund in a match that lasted two hours and 51 minutes. Badosa will facial area both Elena Rybakina, who defeated Badosa en route to the Indian Wells title, or Anna Kalinskaya.
Badosa strike with a ball kid in the course of the match to stay warm just after Siegemund identified as for a clinical timeout and still left the courtroom for cure, which took practically 15 minutes.
No. 14-seeded Victoria Azarenka conquer Camila Giorgi 6-3, 6-1 to access the third spherical, in which she will experience No. 20 Magda Linette.
Azarenka has the second-most career wins at the Miami Open among the lively females with 38. The mark trails only Venus Williams, who has 67. The 33-year-outdated Azarenka gained the tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
In other action, Elise Mertens removed No. 8 seed Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to advance and deal with No. 29 Petra Martic upcoming No. 23 Qinwen Zheng picked up a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 gain above Irina-Camelia Begu and No. 13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Tereza Martincová 7-6 (4), -6, 6-.
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