Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka march on in Miami as more seeds crash out

MIAMI – Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka kept their “Sunshine Double” dreams alive with emphatic victories at the ATP-WTA Miami Open on March 23, as defending men’s champion Jakub Mensik joined a slew of seeds who crashed out.

Sinner and Sabalenka are bidding to join an elite band of players who have won Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back, having arrived in Florida brimming with confidence after their respective victories in the Californian desert earlier in March.

Women’s world No. 1 Sabalenka, defending the Miami title she won for the first time in 2025, cruised into the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 demolition of China’s 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, who is chasing a second victory in Miami after lifting the title in 2024, was similarly comfortable in his third-round clash with French 30th seed Corentin Moutet, winning 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the last 16.

Sabalenka is aiming to become only the fifth woman to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double after Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek.

On her latest form, few would bet against the big-hitting four-time Grand Slam singles champion from Belarus, who comfortably disposed of 23rd seed Zheng in 1hr 25min.

“She’s a tough opponent and I’m super happy with the level I played at today,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “I can definitely say that it felt like home.

“I feel like I’m getting better, serving better, getting used to these conditions, which are tricky. But I’m getting more and more comfortable with every match,” added the 27-year-old, who faces the unseeded Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals.

Baptiste was one of three American women to advance to the last eight on March 23, as she beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-4.

Fourth seed Coco Gauff downed Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 and will next face Swiss Belinda Bencic, who dispatched 2025 US Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-2.

The fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula overcame another Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-1 to book a clash with third seed Elena Rybakina, who beat Talia Gibson 6-2, 6-2.

Canada’s Victoria Mboko, seeded 10th, upset Russian Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-0 to set up a quarter-final with Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova, who strolled past Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 6-0, 6-2.

In the men’s draw, Italian second seed Sinner was always in control against Moutet on the Hard Rock Stadium’s main court.

He will face the unseeded Alex Michelsen in the last 16, after the American defeated Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.

“I am very happy,” Sinner said following his victory. “This sport is unpredictable, so we try to keep attention as much as we can and we’ll see what is coming in the next round.”

“We try to prepare in the best way possible, trying to be tactical and as perfect as possible,” he added.

But while the 24-year-old sailed through, defending champion Mensik was among the latest crop of seeds to tumble out, losing a gruelling three-set battle against 19th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (13-11).

A 2hr 52min slugfest was decided by a marathon third-set tiebreak in which the 20-year-old Czech Mensik saved six match points before finally succumbing.

US hope Tiafoe, who himself saved two match points in the final tiebreak, sealed victory after converting his seventh match point when a Mensik return of serve drifted wide.

He will face Terence Atmane in the last 16. The Frenchman progressed with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 upset of Canada’s seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The Canadian joined a lengthening list of seeds who have stumbled in the early rounds in Miami that includes Indian Wells runner-up Daniil Medvedev, who was shown the door earlier on March 23 in a 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 loss to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.

Medvedev’s exit followed the departures of Spain’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur and eighth-seeded Ben Shelton of the US.

French 31st seed Ugo Humbert beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) to book a last-16 clash with Cerundolo.

Third seed Alexander Zverev got past Croatian veteran Marin Cilic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. The German will next face France’s Quentin Halys, who beat Pole Kamil Majchrzak 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. AFP