Miami Open 2023: Bianca Andreescu marches on with win over Sofia Kenin, Belinda Bencic becomes latest big name to fall

Bianca Andreescu defeated fellow former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-4 to continue her Miami Open run and set up a last-16 clash with Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Belinda Bencic as another big name fell.

Ninth seed Bencic might have fancied her chances of claiming her third title of the year after seeing several big names go out in the early rounds, including Ons Jabeur, Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari.

But the Swiss, who has picked up WTA 500 titles in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi in 2023, suffered the same fate as her fellow top-10 seeds.

Alexandrova, seeded 18th, secured a 7-6(8) 6-3 victory in one hour, 55 minutes, landing eight aces and earning nine break points – taking two – in a stunning performance.

Andreescu, looking to reach her second final in Miami after her 2021 run, stretched her head-to-head lead over Kenin to 4-1 with an impressive display that followed up wins over Emma Raducanu and seventh seed Sakkari.

The world No.31 hit seven aces in a match where long rallies were few and far between and survived the threat of a second set Kenin comeback to take her first match point when it came.

The 22-year-old, who won the US Open in 2019, is looking to repeat the feat of two years ago by making it to the showcase game in Miami, although on that occasion she was forced to withdraw through injury against Ash Barty.

“Last time I played here in 2021, I did not enjoy myself,” Andreescu said.

“I did not feel that I deserved to be in that final. But this year, I feel like a totally different person, and I definitely feel I deserve to be here right now.”

Marketa Vondrousova beat fellow Czech player and former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova 6-1 6-2 in just 52 minutes to progress.

Qualifier Varvara Gracheva’s stunning run continued as she beat lucky loser Magdalena Frech 6-2 6-1, while Romania’s Sorana Cirstea beat Karolina Muchova 7-5 6-1 to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open for the first time in 10 years.

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