Ostapenko downs Haddad Maia in three set battle at Miami Open

Jelena Ostapenko during her third round match at the Miami Open against Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Jelena Ostapenko had to gain back her momentum to stay alive at the Miami Open Saturday. The Latvian found her stride late in the final set against Beatriz Haddad Maia, beating the Brazilian 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Grandstand court on the grounds of the Hard Rock Stadium.

The players met for the fourth time, with the Latvian holding the series against the Brazilian. Their last meeting in Cincinnati went 20 games, but Ostapenko assured herself to be in the lead. Haddad Maia is a strong player when her game is in form, but her action for victory has dropped off, despite her willingness to fight through competitions. The Brazilian went the distance in her last four battles, and while she has had one against Ostapenko, the 24th seed planned not to let her find any dictation after she dismissed the Swede two days ago in straight sets.

The 25-year-old set the bar high with a serve to love against Haddad Maia, but couldn’t get in position to tie in a break. Game three became highly contested when the Brazilian forced deuce and made it a fight for the AD point. She produced two break-point chances, but the 24th seed reached the AD point consecutive times. After seven breaks, Ostapenko secured the service and broke the 13th seed for a 3-1 score.

The Latvian backed up the break, gaining her three-game buffer, but Haddad Maia locked up another service game, sending the Brazilian contingency in the crowd to cheer. Ostapenko remained firm on serve to sit up 5-2, hoping to stop the short life of Haddad Maia’s offense. She raced through the eighth game, achieving two set points, but a long return left her with one to go.

Haddad Maia struggled with the second serve that assisted in double-faulting the set away in 38 minutes to Ostapenko’s benefit. Winners to unforced errors were close on both sides, but a smaller output from Haddad Maia with five explained the outcome.

The Latvian waited for Haddad Maia to return to court during the set break and witnessed a production of good points with a chance to break. Ostapenko saved them to force deuce on serve, on account of the 13th seed’s bad second serve. Waiting for a time to strike, Ostapenko fired an ace to secure the service after a 12-minute battle in the opening game. The 13th seed used her efforts on serve in the second, fighting with the forehand to secure a win against the Latvian.

It was soon 3-1 in favor of Haddad Maia, who got the crowd energized. Ostapenko had enough of being the one trailing and battled on serve in the fifth to gain back her place. They went to deuce, where the 24th seed double-faulted too many times. After reaching six for the match, Haddad Maia had the double break in hand, leading 4-1 with a third set close at hand. Ostapenko pulled off a break back in the sixth, but on serve in the seventh, she committed another double fault that pushed Haddad Maia to victory.

With one game left to attain, the Brazilian had the chance on serve. Ostapenko put the brakes on Haddad Maia, gaining a double break. She backed up the work with a service hold in the ninth, sitting a game down of leveling. Both players took the tenth game to deuce, where Haddad Maia took care of the service and clinched a third set into play after 57 minutes.  Ostapenko chose to take 10 minutes off the court due to the heat rule but also regroup after notching six double faults in the set. Haddad Maia improved on winners, increasing her level of output from the serve to 72 percent.

A break for the Brazilian put her in a good spot to begin the deciding set, converting the break with a strong service hold. Ostapenko was increasingly frustrated, hoping to not let the set run away from her. The 24th seed notched her 10th double fault of the match, which took them to deuce. After three breaks, the Latvian held serve to avoid another big margin for her opponent.

A huge momentum change occurred in the fifth when Ostapenko pulled off a hold of serve and backed it up breaking Haddad Maia in the following game. Gaining back control on both sides of the ball, the Latvian achieved a three-game winning streak forcing an error from the Brazilian. Haddad Maia had problems on serve in the eighth, needing the crowd to get her out of trouble.

They didn’t help her on that front as Ostapenko picked up a fourth consecutive victory, looking for the one to put the 13th seed away. She quickly picked up the match points, gaining three on a long ball from Haddad Maia. The 25-year-old finished off her opponent, laying down a line drive winner to get into the fourth round after 2 hours and 19 minutes.

“I was sick for twelve days, but today I felt good and really happy today to win, and of course, the crowd was mostly against me,” said Ostapenko after her match. “I’m really proud of myself, that I was fighting and been working hard on my consistency. I was fighting till the last point, and she’s like a great player and really proud of myself and how I managed it.”

Bencic blows Fernandez out of Miami Open in straight sets

Belinda Bencic celebrates a point during her second round match with Leylah Fernandez at the Miami Open. 

Belinda Bencic was back to playing her best tennis at the Miami Open Friday night. The ninth seed overcame the opposition of Leylah Fernandez, who didn’t have her game in full, going down 6-1, 6-1 on Butch Buchholz court at the Hard Rock Stadium. It was an outstanding performance by the Swiss star, who needed a big victory to overcome her previous defeat

The two met for the fifth time and the first since the Billy Jean Cup where Bencic picked up her second-match win against the Canadian. The ninth seed hoped to get a third straight over Fernandez after exiting early against her fellow Swiss doubles partner. The time between Indian Wells and the second round of Miami allowed her to focus on getting into the tournament. Despite drawing Fernandez, the reigning Olympic gold medalist had an early challenge in front of her.

Bencic came out answering the service of the Canadian, breaking her to begin the match. She was all over the ball in the second, blanking Fernandez to love before breaking her to love. With a 3-0 run to start, continued to dictate the opening set on a strong service pushing her to 4-0. Fernandez got into the action by not only denying a triple break for the ninth seed but ending her slide.

Just when it looked as if the Canadian found a moment to dig in, Bencic drew errors from her opponent’s rallies and made it 5-1. Fernandez gave it her all in the seventh, saving a set point chance for Bencic to force deuce, but on the second AD point, the Swiss capped the first on a winner to end 27 minutes of play. Winning first-serve points weighed heavily in favor of the Swiss star, who could do no wrong. Fernandez was silent on returns, winning two points overall. She took a break off the court before returning to begin the second set.

Bencic picked up where she left off, having lost no heat after the wait before Fernandez came back. They played 12 points so fast that Bencic already had a new winning streak. With the break in hand from the second, the ninth seed made it 3-0 swiftly. The Canadian was unresponsive to Bencic’s service and continued to struggle with her own.

In the fourth, Fernandez made a significant turnaround with her serve, laying down points across to Bencic, and fight on deuce to get it locked up. The Canadian challenged Bencic on serve in the fifth, fighting through deuce to attain the AD point. An error into the net ended her quest to convert a break in the match, giving Bencic little more to achieve the victory.

The ninth seed stretched out the rallies for Fernandez, making it harder for her to accurately get the ball back on returns, setting up the Swiss to serve for a spot in the third round. She wrapped it up in style, waiting for her moment during a short rally to end Fernandez in one hour and seven minutes. It was her 16th main draw match win, bringing quality back to her form.

Azarenka shines to beat Giorgi at Miami Open

Victoria Azarenka in action during the second round of the Miami Open. 

Victoria Azarenka accepted playing quickly and worked the pace to her advantage at the Miami Open Thursday night. The 14th seed went alongside Camila Giorgi’s speedy movements, matching them to win in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 at Grandstand at the Hard Rock Stadium. The 33-year-old made very few errors in the final set to dominate the Italian and continue her positive ways. 

The 33-year-old wanted to avoid a second consecutive early exit after dropping her first against Karolina Muchova two weeks ago. The Czech took down the winner of the sunshine double in straight sets, but the defeat was a small problem in her recent hard-court success. In her 13 previous visits to the tournament, Azarenka has never lost in the first round. With a fourth meeting against the Italian, the 14th seed wanted to get the series even.

Giorgi played the longest match of the season two days ago, going three and a half hours with Kaia Kanepi. Despite losing leads in all three sets, the 31-year-old carries experience of defeating the former world number one on hard courts, in hopes that she had the energy to do it again.

Giorgi struggled with the serve, double-faulting to give Azarenka break points. She managed to save one, but the 14th seed went on to take the break and get her offense moving. On the third point, Azarenka double-faulted during the second game, giving the Italian room to take a step in and score the break back. She consolidated in the third, showing a strong output that blanked the 33-year-old to love.

The fourth game proved a battle between the players as Giorgi was quick on her feet and playing at the pace she wanted. Azarenka called the Italian in the fifth, breaking her with crosscourt redirects for the lead. She backed it up with a hold of serve, gaining two on Giorgi, who saw her actions work for her opponent. She stayed close on the score with Azarenka until another service hold went the way of the 33-year-old, who led 5-3.

Keeping it tough for the Italian, Giorgi got into a hole on serve and faced two set points to the 14th seed. A shot the body brought an error from Azarenka, but took the set on a slice shot from the Italian, ending the first in 41 minutes. Azarenka outdid Giorgi on winners, capping ten of them, but the real damage was in her points won for the first serve. With that and the speed that she reached against the Italian, Azarenka was on an unstoppable run.

She went on a 3-0 sweep, grabbing two aces in the set that spanned 12 minutes at the time. The Italian brought an end to Azarenka’s five-game winning streak, starting the fourth game with an ace. She defended well to hold serve, adding winners to get back into gear. The 14th seed took a step closer to victory, holding an important service against Giorgi to prevent a slip-up. Having seven winners and no errors was a good position for Azarenka, who had the pressure on her opponent in the sixth.

Two double faults didn’t help the Italian, but errors from the 33-year-old brought up a move to deuce. After battling through five breaks, Azarenka picked up her fifth break point chance, earning the 5-1 stand. On serve for the match, the 14th seed dictated her path to victory, reaching triple match point. One went long, but the second secured it to end the night in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

Aryna Sabalenka remains flawless in her three set win over Jelena Ostapenko

Aryna Sabalenka clenches her fist during her round of 16 match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Aryna Sabalenka improved to 13-0, moving on at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship Wednesday night. The second seed added Jelena Ostapenko to the long list of players she has defeated this season, winning 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 on center court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. Her dangerous forehands from beginning to end kept her flawless once more to enter the quarterfinals.

It was the second meeting between the two stars and the first for Sabalenka since she lifted the Australian Open title back in Melbourne. The newly ranked world number two did well in her match against Lauren Davis, smashing the American with an 88 percent first-serve performance. She allowed just one win during that victory that put her square in the face of Ostapenko. The Latvian went back to back in dominant performances, limiting the double faults while schooling her last two opponents. With this being the biggest challenge of her tournament, the defending champion had much to do to defeat the second seed and keep her repeat title hopes kicking.

The Latvian opened the match, breaking the 24-year-old’s service only to lose out on her own in the second. She continued with the breaks of serve in the third, pressuring Sabalenka to falter on returns in the competition. It worked out for Ostapenko on serve in the fourth, who managed to get the second serve winning points and hold off another break. The Latvian succeeded in a triple break of the second seed getting deep into the rallies before laying out the crosscourt winners.

Sitting ahead 4-1, Ostapenko kept her focus and returned to service, dealing with a couple errors from her side. At deuce, the 13th seed locked in and scored the game to lead 5-1 and go for the set. Sabalenka fought to hold serve for the first time in the set yet faced a long journey to recover. She didn’t make it easy for Ostapenko in the eighth game where she served for the set, but on a challenge for the AD point, the Latvian fired a winner that came back long. She became the second player this season to win a set over the 24-year-old and did so in 37 minutes.

The second was a turnaround for the second seed, who conducted a service hold and broke Ostapenko going forward. The 24-year-old consolidated for a 3-0 grip of the set, making it look as she would force a decider. The 13th seed tried to get a service game locked up but suffered a double fault and an error into the net. It brought the score to deuce where after two breaks, she got a win to move within two games of her opponent.

Sabalenka didn’t let that happen, winning the next two games while holding Ostapenko to 15 in each victory. On serve in the seventh, the second seed held Ostapenko twice, winning the set on the first break of deuce. It was a 32-minute improvement by the 24-year-old, who made the decider critical for both to perform well. Sabalenka won 14 of 18 from the first serve and returned best from the second.

The Latvian opened the deciding set, playing five points against the second seed before she was shut out in the second, leveling the score. Sabalenka fought through 11 points played in the third, breaking Ostapenko. The 24-year-old backed up the break for a 3-1 lead before holding her side of the court through another one of the Latvian’s service games. Sabalenka almost had a second shutout in line until an error brought Ostapenko into it. 

She still managed to lock it up and lead 5-1 showing tremendous momentum. The second seed waited her time to strike on the ball, reach match point, and gain a second chance on a return winner. Ostapenko gifted the victory on her seventh double fault securing the win for the reigning Australian Open champion in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Karolina Muchova outshines Belinda Bencic in straight sets

Karolina Muchova fires off a forehand serve during her round of 16 match at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis championships.

Karolina Muchova outmatched the competition at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Wednesday. The Czech played a stronger level of offense against Belinda Bencic, who struggled to find the energy, going down 6-1, 6-4 on Court One at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.  

The Swiss star had a massive challenge right off the bat in Dubai, playing in the second-longest match of the year. Bencic went almost three and a half hours against Marta Kostyuk, running away with the final set comfortably. Muchova fared better in her second-round match against Sorana Cirstea, who she overcame a break against a top player in the competition. While the eighth seed carried a 2-0 series lead over the Czech, her fatigue played a factor in whether she could hold up in less than 24 hours.

The 26-year-old opened with a near-perfect service, only to see Bencic get into the game. The Czech held serve, then faced the eighth seed and what she brought to the court. Muchova responded with a strong service in the third, allowing Bencic a lone point. She then scored the break for a 3-1 lead on the Swiss and backed up the win on serve in the fifth. Muchova tallied the double break right before she sealed up the set with ease after 33 minutes. Three double faults and 14 unforced errors for Bencic were a problem to fix fast, but fatigue had made its impact.

The Swiss star left the court to try and regroup before Muchova opened the second set facing Bencic’s service. The eighth seed took the opening game with a stronger offense, allowing the Czech a point. The 26-year-old answered with a serve to love, but her opponent showed improvement. Bencic held to love in the third and tried to score a break in the fourth. Her efforts were challenged by Muchova, who didn’t want to give her a break back. After four breaks, the 26-year-old kept the score even but was aware that the competitive spirit in Bencic was alive.

Double faults ruined Bencic’s chances to defend her service game, handing Muchova a potential game-changer. She tallied a strong service game for the two-game buffer, winning 15 of the last 20 points played. Bencic tried to light a fire under her offense after saving a breakpoint. She forced deuce and held serve with forehand shots away from the Czech, putting herself a game down. Muchova suffered a setback on serve, handing Bencic the break that helped her level the score through eight games.

The Czech managed to gain a break back to become the first to reach 5-4 and serve for the match. She scored an ace in her quest to close out the set, scoring points on long returns from the Swiss. With two match points, Muchova ousted Bencic on a second attempt for an ace, ending the day in 1 hour and 25 minutes. It was her sixth ace of the day and with the first serve doing the heavy lifting, she could celebrate the upset.

Madison Keys breezes through Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

Madison Keys celebrates a point during her round of 16 match at the the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. 

Madison Keys coasted to an easy upset at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Wednesday. Victoria Azarenka had an ankle injury that hindered her best performance against the American, who took the win in a 6-2, 6-1 result on Centre Court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. The 15th seed refused to retire and allow the match to go forward, fighting to play against the pain in her lower right leg.

The 33-year-old has a four-match lead against the American, who managed to send two of them to the distance. Keys made work of Caroline Garcia, who refused to allow intimidation to become a factor. The same is said of the former world number one, who put in a lot more time against Amanda Anisimova. With another American in her path, the 15th seed knew she could have another challenge by Keys like the one at Melbourne Park.

Keys opened the match with good shots to Azarenka, who struggled to get the ball over the net. After attaining the service, she watched Azarenka struggle as well, with a limp from her right ankle being taped up. The 15th seed held her end of the court, but the difference was noticeable as Keys swiftly took care of the third game. Azarenka stayed close on the score, but her movement lessened against the American, who was easily serving against the former world number one and gaining breakpoints the same.

With two games on Azarenka, Keys overcame a 0-30 gap to return stronger and hold serve for a three-game margin. Serving to stay in the set, the 15th seed tried her best to hit accurately and with strength, but running for the returns proved painful. At deuce, Keys was handed the AD point on Azarenka’s third double fault, closing out the first in 31 minutes. Her serve percentage reached 78 percent compared to Azarenka’s 54 and was outscored 29-18.

Keys opened the second much like the first, breaking Azarenka on her service in the second to consolidate. She picked up two more games against her opponent, closing in on her first-ever victory against the tennis veteran. After the break of the 15th seed, Keys easily capped the match, holding serve in the seventh to complete the upset in under an hour. With a spot in the quarterfinal, Keys could potentially faceoff against Coco Gauff or Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Thursday’s competition.

Belinda Bencic edges Marta Kostyuk in lengthy three setter

Belinda Bencic clenches her fist during her second round match with Marta Kostyuk at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. 

Belinda Bencic delivered a massive outpour of effort to come through a marathon match at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship Tuesday. Marta Kostyuk gave the eighth seed an intense challenge from start to finish until the Swiss took the win 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 6-4 on Court One at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. 241 points were played between the two stars that threw all they had at one another to attain victory.

The Swiss star chose to bow out of Doha and make a run for a second title win. She carried a 2-0 series lead over the Ukrainian, who handled the Turk in the final two sets of their opening match Sunday. Kostyuk gave Bencic a hard time in Abu Dhabi and would do whatever it took to break her out of a strong offense. Despite losing out to go all the way in last week’s tournament, the time to recover after six straight matches gave the eighth seed a chance to run through the competition once more.  

Kostyuk set herself in a good place, holding serve in the opening game. Bencic responded with a serve to love, but the Ukrainian was in the groove to hold her end no matter what. Despite Bencic forcing deuce, Kostyuk played the first AD point to keep in front. The eighth seed took the lead away, holding it through the next three games.

Kostyuk overcame the deficit, and denied Bencic a chance at the set twice, gaining a break in the process. She took the 11th on serve but watched the Swiss level the score, sending them to a tiebreak. It was there that the Ukrainian gained more breakpoints, but putting the set away took time. On her fourth break of Bencic, Kostyuk made three a charm with a long ball return by Bencic, ending the first in 1 hour and 13 minutes. The defeat sent the eighth seed to slam her rack and move things into the second set.

The first game went to the Ukrainian, who took her success and turned it into a break for the Swiss star, who was still fuming. Kostyuk managed to consolidate for a 2-0 run, but Bencic didn’t let the gap grow further. She scored a serve to love in the fifth, then went on to break to level the score at three-all. Bencic added a third-game win that put her in the lead briefly. She led the way through four games, staying ahead of the Ukrainian through the 11th.

Kostyuk held the 12th to force another tiebreak, taking a two-point lead in the competition. Bencic started to bring the fight to the net, going for the points to even up. She stuck through a tough battle with the Ukrainian and went for the big shots when she needed the offense to pay off, completing the second in 1 hour and 16 minutes. Bencic’s second serve came in to save her which bested her first serve overall in the set.

The two combined for 38 errors, meaning that more would come going to the decider. Bencic got on the board first but wanted to keep Kostyuk off her tail. The 20-year-old refused to fall back and stayed close to the eighth seed, as both built up strong service games to the ninth.

The tenth was the difference maker for Bencic, who put all the intensity left inside to overcome a 15-40 gap, force deuce, and deny Kostyuk breakpoints to end a 3-hour and 27-minute ordeal. Late errors from the 20-year-old allowed Bencic to walk away with the victory and avoid a shocking upset. Kostyuk tallied 52 errors in the match but gave it her all through every point played. Bencic will try to get some rest before she awaits Karolina Muchova in the round of 16 Wednesday.