Barty and Halep suffer in Miami and Gauff falls eliminated

World number one and reigning champion Australian Ashleigh Barty was on the ropes and saved a match point against Slovakian Kristina Kucova, from the previous phase, but ended up taking the duel forward (6-3, 4-6 and 7-5) to reach the round of 32 of the WTA 1,000 in Miami.

The staging of the oceanic was about to cause the first big surprise of the competition. Barty, who won in 2019, the last time this tournament was played, was one step away from elimination and needed two and a half hours to make amends. and avoid falling to a rival without any success in her career and who is located in position 149 of the women's ranking.

The Australian player, this year the winner in Melbourne after beating the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza in the final to bring the number of titles in her record to nine, won the first set but was outmatched in the second and part of the third. Kucova held a 4-1, 5-2 lead and one match point. But the champion reacted, she won five games in a row to close the match.

Barty will face the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 32 who beat the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-2, 5-7 and 6-3.

Kerber meets Azarenka

With a double 6-0, the German Angelique Kerber, twenty-fourth favorite, eliminated the Mexican Renata Zarazúa, from the previous phase, to reach the round of 32 of the WTA 1,000 in Miami.

The German, former number one in the world, with eighteen titles in her record, including three from the Grand Slam, reflected the great distance with the tennis player from Mexico City, debutant in this competition, located in position 147 of the women's ranking and without any success in her history.

The Mexican, trained by the Spanish Julián Alonso, was disarmed from the start and had no option whatsoever against a rival who in 2016 became a semifinalist in Miami, her best record in this competition, and who took an hour to beat Zarazúa.

The Bremen player will face Belarusian Viktoria Azarenka in the round of 32, who passed the second stage due to the absence of her rival, the German Laura Sigemund.

The British Johanna Konta did not fail, who got rid of the Polish Magda Linette (6-4 and 7-5) and will be measured with the Czech Petra Kvitova, who beat the French Alize Cornet 6-0, 6-4.

Halep suffers and Sevastova fires Gauff

More hardships Simona Halep went through to access the next round in Miami. The Romanian tennis player, third favorite for the title, had to come back against the French Caroline Garcia, which took the first set 3-6, but was outmatched in the next two sets before Halep's push 6-4 and 6-0.

Halep will now be seen in the third round with the Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, who starred in one of the great surprises of the day after defeating the young American Coco Gauff. Gauff seemed to have the game on track after winning the first set 1-6, but Sevastova managed to react and take the next two sets 6-2 6-3.

In other outstanding matches of the day Aryna Sabalenka managed to overcome a rosco against the Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova (0-6, 6-3 and 7-6 (9) to meet in the next round with Veronika Kudermetova, who beat Danielle Collins (6-3 and 6-2). Neither did Elina Svitolina fail, who had to come back against Shelby Rogers (3-6, 7-5 and 6-3), Belinda Bencic (6-2 and 6-1 to Zarina Diyas) and Iga Swiatek (6-4 and 6- 2 to Barbora Krejcikova).