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2020 Miami Open Announces ATP and WTA Player Field

2020 Miami Open Announces ATP and WTA Player Field

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The players’ field has been announced for the Miami Open. For the second year in a row, the tournament will be held at Hard Rock Stadium, the state of the art facilities in Miami Gardens.

As usual, the ATP and WTA’s premier players will be in attendance at the 2020 Miami Open which will be played March 23 – April 5.

Leading the men is 2020 Australian Open champion and world number one Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is a 6 time champion in Miami and will be looking for his 7th Miami title. If he captures the title he will make history on the men’s side by holding the most Miami titles. Djokovic is currently tied with Andre Agassi.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will also be battling for the trophy. Nadal will be making his first appearance at Hard Rock Stadium after pulling out of the tournament last year due to a knee injury he sustained at Indian Wells. Federer returns to Miami as the defending champion. He captured his fourth Miami title in 2019 by defeating the 2018 defending champion John Isner. Isner will also be on hand attempting to make his third straight finals appearance. Other notables on the men’s side of the draw include 2020 Australian Open runner up Dominic Thiem, 2019 US Open runner up Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Stan Wawrinka.

Defending champion and French Open champion Ashleigh Barty returns in pursuit of her second consecutive Miami title while hometown favorite Serena Williams will try to bag a 9th Miami open title. She already holds the record in Miami with a total of 8 titles. The women’s field is stacked with Major champions including Simona Halep, Bianca Andreescu, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Garbiñe Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens, Jelena Ostapenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Here is the official press release from the tournament:

Miami Gardens, FL (February 11, 2020) – The 2020 Miami Open presented by Itaú returns for its second year at Hard Rock Stadium, March 23-April 5, and fans will have the opportunity to see tennis’ biggest stars while enjoying all the new fan experiences at the event’s world-class venue.

The Miami Open announced today the full player field for the 2020 tournament. The player field features 19 players who have a combined 100 career Grand Slam singles titles, including all-time record holders Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Reigning Australian Open champions Novak Djokovic and Sofia Kenin top one of the strongest ATP and WTA tournament draws of 2020.

Overall, each of the top 76 ranked men and 74 ranked women have entered to compete in Miami.

Federer, the 2019 Miami Open champion, and Djokovic, lead a men’s field that includes 19-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and boasts the next generation of ATP stars including World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, 2019 ATP Finals Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, World No. 7 Alexander Zverev and Australian star Nick Kyrgios.

The player field also included three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, 2018 Miami Open champion John Isner, 2020 Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem and nine-time ATP tour winner Gael Monfils.

The women’s field is even more impressive.

Kenin, who hails from Pembroke Pines, Florida, is fresh off her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne and joins an impressive list of Grand Slam singles champions competing in Miami.

Leading the way is 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who is looking to win her ninth title in Miami, and defending Miami Open champion Ashleigh Barty, the reigning French Open champion.

The list of Grand Slam champions in the 2020 Miami Open player field includes 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, defending US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Garbiñe Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens, Jelena Ostapenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Other qualified players to watch include 2019 Miami Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, World No. 4 Elina Svitolina, Swiss star Belinda Bencic and American, Madison Keys.

The future stars of women’s tennis will also be on display with 18-year-old Amanda Anisimova, from Aventura, and 15-year-old Coco Gauff, from Delray Beach, in the field. Both claimed their first WTA singles title in 2019.

Following a spectacular Hard Rock Stadium debut last March, fans can expect an even greater guest experience that includes the best in art, food, fashion and music. Some new and exciting changes in 2020 include the Sky View at Hard Rock Stadium, a gondola ride that will give fans the opportunity to see the venue from a unique perspective. The site will also have increased shade structures and a new Grandstand video board.

Tickets to the 2020 Miami Open are on sale now and available by phone at 305-943-6736 or online at www.miamiopen.com. Individual session tickets start at only $16 so get your tickets today. Ticket packages, group programs, and luxury hospitality offerings also are available.

Qualifying rounds will be March 23-24 and will determine 12 additional slots in each singles draw. The Miami Open also will award wildcards to five men and eight women. The women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 24, followed by the first round of the men’s main draw on Wednesday, March 25.

ATP Acceptance List (as of February 11, 2020)

Name Country Rank

Novak Djokovic SRB 1
Rafael Nadal ESP 2
Roger Federer SUI 3
Dominic Thiem AUT 4
Daniil Medvedev RUS 5
Stefanos Tsitsipas GRE 6
Alexander Zverev GER 7
Matteo Berrettini ITA 8
Gael Monfils FRA 9
David Goffin BEL 10
Fabio Fognini ITA 11
Roberto Bautista Agut ESP 12
Stan Wawrinka SUI 13
Diego Schwartzman ARG 14
Kevin Anderson RSA 14 EP
Andrey Rublev RUS 15
Denis Shapovalov CAN 16
Karen Khachanov RUS 17
John Isner USA 18
Benoit Paire FRA 19
Nick Kyrgios AUS 20
Felix Auger-Aliassime CAN 21
Grigor Dimitrov BUL 22
Dusan Lajovic SRB 23
Alex de Minaur AUS 24
Kei Nishikori JPN 25
Cristian Garin CHI 26
Guido Pella ARG 27
Nikoloz Basilashvili GEO 28
Hubert Hurkacz POL 29
Pablo Carreno Busta ESP 30
Borna Coric CRO 31
Milos Raonic CAN 32
Daniel Evans GRB 33
Jan-Lennard Struff GER 34
Laslo Djere SRB 35
Taylor Fritz USA 36
Marin Cilic CRO 37
Sam Querrey USA 38
Filip Krajinovic SRB 39
Reilly Opelka USA 40
John Millman AUS 41
Albert Ramos-Vinolas ESP 42
Ugo Humbert FRA 43
Adrian Mannarino FRA 44
Casper Ruud NOR 45
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA 46
Fernando Verdasco ESP 47
Pablo Cuevas URU 48
Lorenzo Sonego ITA 49
Radu Albot MDA 50
Feliciano Lopez ESP 51
Aljaz Bedene SLO 52
Tennys Sandgren USA 53
Miomir Kecmanovic SRB 54
Richard Gasquet FRA 55
Alexander Bublik KAZ 56
Gilles Simone FRA 57
Pablo Andujar ESP 58
Cameron Norrie GRB 59
Lucas Pouille FRA 60
Jeremy Chardy FRA 61
Kyle Edmund GRB 62
Jordan Thompson AUS 63
Yoshihito Nishioka JPN 64
Ricardas Berankis LTU 65
Marton Fucsovics HUN 66
Mikhail Kukushkin KAZ 67
Joao Sousa POR 68
Juan Ignacio Londero ARG 69
Tommy Paul USA 70
Egor Gerasimov BLR 71
Lu Yen-Hsun TPE 71 EP
Jiri Vesely CZE 72
Marco Cecchinato ITA 73
Vasek Pospisil CAN 73 EP
Mikael Ymer SWE 74
Steve Johnson USA 75
Corentin Moutet FRA 76
EP – Entry Protection

WTA Acceptance List (as of February 11, 2020)

Name Country Rank

Ashleigh Barty AUS 1
Simona Halep ROU 2
Karolina Pliskova CZE 3
Elina Svitolina UKR 4
Belinda Bencic SUI 5
Bianca Andreescu CAN 6
Sofia Kenin USA 7
Kiki Bertens NED 8
Serena Williams USA 9
Naomi Osaka JPN 10
Petra Kvitova CZE 11
Madison Keys USA 12
Aryna Sabalenka BLR 13
Johanna Konta GBR 14
Petra Martic CRO 15
Garbiñe Muguruza ESP 16
Marketa Vondrousova CZE 17
Alison Riske USA 18
Elise Mertens BEL 19
Angelique Kerber GER 20
Maria Sakkari GRE 21
Anett Kontaveit EST 22
Donna Vekic CRO 23
Karolina Muchova CZE 24
Elena Rybakina KAZ 25
Dayana Yastremska UKR 26
Wang Qiang CHN 27
Ekaterina Alexandrova RUS 28
Amanda Anisimova USA 29
Barbora Strycova CZE 30
Julia Goerges GER 31
Zhang Shuai CHN 32
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 33
Yulia Putintseva KAZ 34
Sloane Stephens USA 35
Zheng Saisai CHN 36
Kristina Mladenovic FRA 37
Veronika Kudermetova RUS 38
Hsieh Su-Wei TPE 39
Jelena Ostapenko LAT 40
Anastasija Sevastova LAT 41
Magda Linette POL 42
Polona Hercog SLO 43
Rebecca Peterson SWE 44
Ons Jabeur TUN 45
Caroline Garcia FRA 46
Alison Van Uytvanck BEL 47
Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ 47 SR
Iga Swiatek POL 48
Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 49
Danielle Collins USA 50
Coco Gauff USA 51
Jennifer Brady USA 52
Victoria Azarenka BLR 53
Anna Blinkova RUS 54
Carla Suárez Navarro ESP 55
Wang Yafan CHN 56
Ajla Tomljanovic AUS 57
Fiona Ferro FRA 58
Katerina Siniakova CZE 59
Marie Bouzkova CZE 60
Alizé Cornet FRA 61
Lauren Davis USA 62
Zarina Diyas KAZ 63
Bernarda Pera USA 64
Viktoria Kuzmova SVK 65
Venus Williams USA 66
Kristyna Pliskova CZE 67
Jil Teichmann SUI 68
Sorana Cirstea ROU 69
Zhu Lin CHN 70
Daria Kasatkina RUS 71
Taylor Townsend USA 72
Laura Siegemund GER 73
Heather Watson GBR 74
SR – Secured Ranking

About the Miami Open presented by Itaú
The 2020 Miami Open will be played March 23 – April 5 at Hard Rock Stadium. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of Miami’s unique personality, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and celebrity appeal, as well as its close proximity to both Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.

About Itaú
Itaú is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 94,000 employees and operations in 19 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.

About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media, operating in more than 30 countries. The company manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in sports training and league development, as well as marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions. IMG is part of the Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) network.

About Hard Rock Stadium
Hard Rock Stadium is a global entertainment destination that serves as home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami football team, Orange Bowl, Super Bowl LIV and the 100th anniversary of the NFL, College Football Playoffs 2021 Final, major concerts, international soccer matches and a host of world-class events. The facility has undergone a $500 million, multi-year renovation privately funded by Owner Stephen Ross.

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Miami Open Selects Dunlop as Official Ball and Racquet

Miami Open Selects Dunlop as Official Ball and Racquet

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Ahead of the tournament, the Miami Open announced that it has selected Dunlop as the official ball and racquet. The 2020 Miami Open, which serves as an ATP 1000 Series and a Premier Mandatory WTA event, will take place March 23 through April 5. For the second year in a row the tournament will be held at its new location at Hard Rock Stadium.

Here is the office press release from the Miami Open:

Dunlop today announced it has reached a multi-year agreement with the Miami Open presented by Itaú to become the Official Ball and Racquet for the tournament. Beginning in 2020 the world’s best tennis players will be competing with the Dunlop ATP Extra Duty ball (for the men) and the Dunlop Grand Prix Extra Duty ball (for the women) at the tournament widely regarded as the most glamorous in the sport. The partnership extends Dunlop’s global reach and dominance in the tennis ball market; it is currently the Official Ball of the ATP Tour and the Australian Open, in addition to being played at more ATP tournaments than any other ball, making it the Number One Ball on the ATP Tour. Official tournament merchandise including balls, rackets and souvenir autograph tennis balls will be available for retail sale during the two-week event.

“A key part of our global growth plan is developing partnerships with the most elite tournaments in the world,” said Masahiro Asahino, Dunlop’s Head of Tennis. “The Miami Open is one of those premier tennis events, and the exposure it generates amongst tennis fans in North and South America will help grow our brand in those important markets and beyond.”

“It’s fitting Dunlop’s largest sponsorship in the U.S. will be with the Miami Open, because, in many ways, we have much in common,” said Kai Nitsche, VP and General Manager for Dunlop Sports Americas. “We each have storied pasts, but it’s a recent commitment to the future that is most exciting to fans. In 2017 SRI bought the Dunlop brand, and it has made enormous investments at every level, while just last year the Miami Open moved into its brand new home, Hard Rock Stadium, where it will flourish for years to come.”

“One of my chief goals as Tournament Director is ensuring the players are happy with every aspect of their experience, and the tournament ball is at the top of that list,” said James Blake, Miami Open Tournament Director. “Since my time on Tour, the general consensus among the players is that Dunlop has always produced the best, most consistent ball on Tour, so I’m glad we now have it as the Official Ball of the Miami Open.”

About Dunlop

An undisputed legend in the sport of tennis, Dunlop has produced iconic rackets for the game’s all-time best players and tennis balls worthy of the game’s most elite tournaments for decades. As the Official Ball for both the Australian Open and the ATP Tour, Dunlop’s global reach stretches to tournaments in Melbourne, New York, Shanghai, Rome, Madrid, Monte Carlo and London, home of the 2019 Nitto ATP Tour Finals. The Dunlop Tour Team is led by two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, and also includes WTA stars Qiang Wang and Taylor Townsend. Dunlop is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries and is headquartered in Kobe, Japan. Learn more at www.dunlopsports.com.

About Sumitomo Rubber Industries

Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) was founded in 1963 in Kobe, Japan and employs over 36,000 people across the world and has sales revenue of over $8.5 billion. SRI acquired the global rights to the Dunlop brand in April 2017 and owns fellow sports companies Srixon, Cleveland Golf and XXIO. SRI specializes in the tire industry but also in providing rubber-based products for many other industries such as medical, construction, marine, sports facilities etc.

About the Miami Open presented by Itaú

The 2020 Miami Open will be played March 23 – April 5 at Hard Rock Stadium. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of Miami’s unique personality, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and celebrity appeal, as well as its close proximity to both Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.

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Federer Tops Isner to Capture Fourth Miami Open Title

Federer Tops Isner to Capture Fourth Miami Open Title

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Karen Pestaina @TennisNewsTPN

Roger Federer won his fourth Miami Open title on Sunday for his 101st career trophy when he defeated defending champion, seventh seed John Isner 6-1, 6-4 in 63 minutes. Towards the end of the match Isner had some problems with his left foot and appeared to be limping in the last two games.

“I knew something was not right, the way he was moving was not well,” Federer said during the trophy ceremony. “But I can’t let that affect my game. Of course, I hope for John it’s nothing serious.”

“To stand here after so many years is absolutely incredible. John is a great player, a great person. I’m so sorry for your foot but I’m positive for you it’s all good and you’ll be playing great tennis for the rest of the year.”

“Roger, you were entirely too good today,” said Isner to Federer. “You were entirely too good this whole tournament. You were entirely too good your whole career. It’s absolutely incredible what you are doing.”

Federer started off the match by breaking Isner’s usually unbreakable serve and never letting up, breaking one of the biggest servers in the game three times in the first set. Federer won all 20 of his first-serve points and broke Isner’s serve four times total in the match.

The victory for the fourth seed Federer makes him the first person on either tour this tennis year to claim a second title. Up until Sunday 14 different women and 19 different men had claimed trophies in as many tournaments.

At 101 titles, Federer stands behind all-time male title leader Jimmy Connors at 109 and at 28 Masters Series crowns, he trails Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Federer now leads the ATP Race to London by 55 points over No. 1 Djokovic.

The 37-year-old Swiss also has the best record on the men’s tour this year after the first three months at 18-2. He is now 16-1 versus U.S. players in finals. His lone loss coming to Andre Agassi in the 2002 Miami Open final.

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Barty Defeats Pliskova to Capture the Miami Open Title

Barty Defeats Pliskova to Capture the Miami Open Title

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Karen Pestaina @TennisNewsTPN
Appearing in her first WTA Premier Mandatory final, No. 12 seed Ashleigh Barty defeated No. 5 seed Karolina Pliskova 7-6(1), 6-3 to win the Miami Open title, the most important trophy so far in the Australian’s tennis career. The win for the 22-year-old Barty is her fourth career WTA Tour title. Her victory will move her into the Top Ten for the first time, she’ll be No. 9 in the world as of Monday.

She’s is the first Australian woman to win the Miami Open and the first Aussie woman in the Top Ten since Sam Stosur in 2013.

In the first set, Pliskova got an early break to take a 2-1 lead, extending it to 3-1. Barty recovered, winning three straight games to level the set. Both women held on to force a tiebreak.

After 1-1, in the tiebreak, Barty won the next six straight points, using her variety, especially her slice backhand to create points and claim the first set 7-6(1).
The second set opened with a 12-plus minute game which saw Barty earn a break. She extended her lead to 2-0 and almost earned a second break in the third game, which was a 10-plus minute marathon, but the Czech held off the surging Aussie.

Both women continued to hold their serves, Barty with ease, but Pliskova struggling until the ninth game, when the Aussie break serve to end the match 7-6(1), 6-3.

Barty’s crafty game produced 42 winners, which included 15 aces. Normally, Pliskova is the player who leads in the ace count. Pliskova had only 6 aces, 20 winners against 26 unforced errors. Barty hit 20 errors during the match, breaking her opponent’s serve three times.

“It’s been a phenomenal two weeks on the singles and doubles court,” said Barty in her on-court TV interview.

“Wimbledon last year was a turning point for me and I’ve been able to run with it. I knew I had to have my running shoes on today to make as many balls as possible.

“You don’t get these opportunities every day and you have to try and make the most of it.”

Barty now takes a 3-2 lead in her head-to-head record agains the former No. 1 Pliskova.

So far during the 2019 tennis season, 14 different women and 19 different men have captured trophies in just as many tournaments.

Karen Pestaina is a contributor to MiamiTennisNews. She writes for various tennis and news outlets and is the Editor-in-Chief of Tennis Panorama News. Follow her on Twittter @TennisNewsTPN.

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Federer, Halep and Kvitova In Action Monday at the Miami Open

Federer, Halep and Kvitova In Action Monday at the Miami Open

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Roger Federer continues his quest for his fourth Miami Open title on Monday when he will take on Filip Krajinovic from Serbia. Krajinovic reached the 4th round this year at Indian Wells and is hoping to equal that performance in Miami.

Prior to the Federer match, Petra Kvitova will face off against Caroline Garcia. Her best result to date in Miami is a quarter final appearance in 2014. Kvitova can achieve the world number 1 ranking if she wins the title on Saturday.

The last day session match on Stadium court will see world number 2 Simona Halep take on Venus Williams. Halep’s best showing in Miami was a semifinal appearance in 2015. Venus has hoisted the Miami Open trophy on 3 prior occasions.

The night session will feature Frances Tiafoe versus David Ferrer followed by Karolina Pliskova versus Yulia Putintseva.

Here is the complete order of play for March 25, 2019

STADIUM start 12:00 noon

WTA – [3] P. Kvitova (CZE) vs [19] C. Garcia (FRA) 

Not Before 1:00 pm

ATP – F. Krajinovic (SRB) vs [4] R. Federer (SUI)
Not Before 4:00 pm

WTA – V. Williams (USA) vs [2] S. Halep (ROU) 

Not Before 7:30 pm

ATP – [28] F. Tiafoe (USA) vs [WC] D. Ferrer (ESP) 

Not Before 9:00 pm

WTA – [5] Ka. Pliskova (CZE) vs Y. Putintseva (KAZ)

GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon

ATP – [6] K. Anderson (RSA) vs J. Sousa (POR) 

Not Before 2:00 pm

WTA – [27] S. Hsieh (TPE) vs [13] C. Wozniacki (DEN) 

ATP – [20] D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs [Q] A. Rublev (RUS) 

ATP – [8] S. Tsitsipas (GRE) vs L. Mayer (ARG) 

Not Before 7:00 pm

WTA – M. Vondrousova (CZE) vs T. Maria (GER)

COURT 1 start 11:00 am

ATP – [24] G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs J. Thompson (AUS) 

WTA – [21] A. Kontaveit (EST) vs B. Andreescu (CAN) 

ATP – [13] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs [Q] R. Opelka (USA) 

ATP – [14] M. Cecchinato (ITA) vs [18] D. Goffin (BEL) 

WTA – Y. Wang (CHN) vs [18] Q. Wang (CHN)

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ COURT start 11:00 am

WTA – [12] A. Barty (AUS) vs [7] K. Bertens (NED) 

ATP – M. Middelkoop (NED) / D. Schwartzman (ARG) vs I. Dodig (CRO) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 

ATP – R. Albot (MDA) / N. Basilashvili (GEO) vs [5] O. Marach (AUT) / M. Pavic (CRO) 

After Suitable Rest – [1] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA) vs G. Pella (ARG) / J. Sousa (POR) 

ATP – [3] B. Bryan (USA) / M. Bryan (USA) vs N. Jarry (CHI) / F. Skugor (CRO)

COURT 6 start 12:00 noon

WTA – [8] H. Chan (TPE) / L. Chan (TPE) vs V. Kudermetova (RUS) / D. Schuurs (NED) 

WTA – S. Aoyama (JPN) / L. Marozava (BLR) vs B. Bencic (SUI) / D. Kasatkina (RUS) 

WTA – TBA – [3] S. Hsieh (TPE) / B. Strycova (CZE) vs E. Mertens (BEL) / A. Sabalenka (BLR

STADIUM start 12:00 noon

WTA – [3] P. Kvitova (CZE) vs [19] C. Garcia (FRA) 

Not Before 1:00 pm

ATP – F. Krajinovic (SRB) vs [4] R. Federer (SUI) 

Not Before 4:00 pm

WTA – V. Williams (USA) vs [2] S. Halep (ROU) 

Not Before 7:30 pm

ATP – [28] F. Tiafoe (USA) vs [WC] D. Ferrer (ESP) 

Not Before 9:00 pm

WTA – [5] Ka. Pliskova (CZE) vs Y. Putintseva (KAZ)

GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon

ATP – [6] K. Anderson (RSA) vs J. Sousa (POR) 

Not Before 2:00 pm

WTA – [27] S. Hsieh (TPE) vs [13] C. Wozniacki (DEN) 

ATP – [20] D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs [Q] A. Rublev (RUS) 

ATP – [8] S. Tsitsipas (GRE) vs L. Mayer (ARG) 

Not Before 7:00 pm

WTA – M. Vondrousova (CZE) vs T. Maria (GER)

COURT 1 start 11:00 am

ATP – [24] G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs J. Thompson (AUS) 

WTA – [21] A. Kontaveit (EST) vs B. Andreescu (CAN) 

ATP – [13] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs [Q] R. Opelka (USA) 

ATP – [14] M. Cecchinato (ITA) vs [18] D. Goffin (BEL) 

WTA – Y. Wang (CHN) vs [18] Q. Wang (CHN)

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ COURT start 11:00 am

WTA – [12] A. Barty (AUS) vs [7] K. Bertens (NED) 

ATP – M. Middelkoop (NED) / D. Schwartzman (ARG) vs I. Dodig (CRO) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 

ATP – R. Albot (MDA) / N. Basilashvili (GEO) vs [5] O. Marach (AUT) / M. Pavic (CRO) 

After Suitable Rest – [1] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA) vs G. Pella (ARG) / J. Sousa (POR) 

ATP – [3] B. Bryan (USA) / M. Bryan (USA) vs N. Jarry (CHI) / F. Skugor (CRO)

COURT 6 start 12:00 noon

WTA – [8] H. Chan (TPE) / L. Chan (TPE) vs V. Kudermetova (RUS) / D. Schuurs (NED) 

WTA – S. Aoyama (JPN) / L. Marozava (BLR) vs B. Bencic (SUI) / D. Kasatkina (RUS) 

WTA – TBA – [3] S. Hsieh (TPE) / B. Strycova (CZE) vs E. Mertens (BEL) / A. Sabalenka (BLR

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Sunday’s Line Up at the Miami Open Has Isner, Djokovic and Kyrgios Vying for a Spot in the Round of 16

Sunday’s Line Up at the Miami Open Has Isner, Djokovic and Kyrgios Vying for a Spot in the Round of 16

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Six time Miami Open champion Novak Djokovic is back on court Sunday afternoon. The multiple major winner will face Argentine Frederico Delbonis as he attempts to qualify for the fourth round. This will be the first ATP encounter for these two.

John Isner continues his title defense. In the day’s initial match on stadium court, the American will be challenged by Spaniard Albert Ramos Vinolas. This will be their maiden meeting on hardcourt. They’ve split their prior two on clay.

The night session will conclude with Australian Nick Kyrgios battling Serbian Dusan Lajovic. Kyrgios walked away with the victory in their one previous showdown last year.

Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic will finally be on court for the first time after getting a walkover into the third round. He will collide with Brit Kyle Edmund.

Here is the order of play for Sunday March 24, 2019:

STADIUM start 12:00 noon
ATP – A. Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) vs [7] J. Isner (USA)

Not Before 2:00 pm
WTA – P. Hercog (SLO) vs [2] S. Halep (ROU)
ATP – [1] N. Djokovic (SRB) vs F. Delbonis (ARG)

Not Before 7:30 pm
WTA – T. Maria (GER) vs [4] S. Stephens (USA)

Not Before 9:00 pm
ATP – [27] N. Kyrgios (AUS) vs D. Lajovic (SRB)

GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon
WTA – Y. Wang (CHN) vs [25] D. Collins (USA)
ATP – [12] M. Raonic (CAN) vs [19] K. Edmund (GBR)

Not Before 4:00 pm
WTA – [14] D. Kasatkina (RUS) vs V. Williams (USA)
WTA – [5] Ka. Pliskova (CZE) vs A. Cornet (FRA)

Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – [11] B. Coric (CRO) vs J. Chardy (FRA)

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
ATP – M. Gonzalez (ARG) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs [4] J. Cabal (COL) / R. Farah (COL)

Not Before 12:00 noon
ATP – [22] R. Bautista Agut (ESP) vs [15] F. Fognini (ITA)
ATP – [17] N. Basilashvili (GEO) vs R. Haase (NED)
ATP – H. Hurkacz (POL) vs [Q] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
WTA – [6] S. Stosur (AUS) / S. Zhang (CHN) vs L. Kichenok (UKR) / N. Kichenok (UKR)

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ COURT start 11:00 am
ATP – F. Lopez (ESP) / M. Lopez (ESP) vs I. Dodig (CRO) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

Not Before 12:30 pm
ATP – R. Bopanna (IND) / D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs [7] M. Granollers (ESP) / N. Mektic (CRO)
WTA – Y. Putintseva (KAZ) vs [11] A. Sevastova (LAT)
WTA – [16] E. Mertens (BEL) vs M. Vondrousova (CZE)
ATP – R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR) vs J. Isner (USA) / S. Querrey (USA)

COURT 6 start 11:00 am
WTA – D. Jurak (CRO) / R. Olaru (ROU) vs L. Arruabarrena (ESP) / H. Watson (GBR)

Not Before 1:00 pm
WTA – [1] B. Krejcikova (CZE) / K. Siniakova (CZE) or [WC] V. Azarenka (BLR) / A. Barty (AUS) vs A. Krunic (SRB) / A. Panova (RUS)
ATP – [6] R. Klaasen (RSA) / M. Venus (NZL) vs M. Middelkoop (NED) / D. Schwartzman (ARG)
ATP – W. Koolhof (NED) / S. Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [2] J. Murray (GBR) / B. Soares (BRA)
WTA – A. Rosolska (POL) / Z. Yang (CHN) or K. Flipkens (BEL) / J. Larsson (SWE) vs [5] G. Dabrowski (CAN) / Y. Xu (CHN)

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Federer Fends Off Albut to Advance to the Third Round at the Miami Open

Federer Fends Off Albut to Advance to the Third Round at the Miami Open

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Three time Miami Open and holder of 20 majors Roger Federer struggled today in his opening match. Still, in the end, the Swiss put away qualifier Radu Albot 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to move on to the third round at the Miami Open.

Playing someone for the first time can be a tricky, Federer dropped the opening game of the match and could not bank on any of the four break points he manufactured. Consequently, Albot, who secured his first ATP tile this year in Delray Beach, grew in confidence. Federer finally capitalized on break point in the second set to push the match to a third set. Once again, in the last set, one break point in Federer’s favor was the difference.

Federer pinpointed that his struggles stemmed from the fact that ” I felt like I was in two minds, how you play sometimes in a first round. You’re looking to take on the ball, but then sometimes you also know you just cannot go big all the time. You also have to hold back. Sometimes you feel like it happens always at the wrong times. You pull the trigger at the wrong times. You’re going safe at the wrong times. That has something to do with how I thought he played his game. He seemed very clear to me, and I wasn’t. In the heat of the moment, I started forgetting stuff also that my coach told me. I felt like all the important points, points that could have led to something interesting for me, I played poorly because I was in two minds. . . I thought actually how I protected my serve, after getting broken in the first game, was actually very good. There’s definitely really some good elements there in the game, but I did struggle obviously. I’m very, very happy that I found a way.”

In addition to the opponent, there was the venue to contend with “there’s definitely always a slight sort of buzz in the stadium. I think it’s more because of the size and the ventilation. You feel there’s always a bit of a noise there, which is sometimes a bit unusual for tennis. Of course, indoors you get that more often. We do have it occasionally. . .a very key element of our sport is you can hear a pin drop. . .Here it’s not so much the case. When somebody hits the ball, it’s not as clear maybe, which then can feel almost like it’s a little bit of an empty space. That can feel maybe a little bit different. I didn’t feel like it was totally something out of the ordinary where I had no clue where my boundaries were, like I’ve had maybe at some other courts from around the world in the past. I’ve gotten used to it quite quickly. . .it’s a big place. I mean, the side stands are huge. It goes far away. It’s unusual to have it that way. I would have thought maybe they would put it in the corner, the stadium, instead of on the long side. Still it was a good atmosphere.”

Stanislas Wawrinka, Federer’s countryman, was not as fortunate. The three time major champion fell in the day’s initial match to Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 spoiling the all Swiss third round collision. Wawrinka led in the tiebreaker 5-2 and lost the next five points.

Other notable upsets include 9th seed Marin Cilic who went down to qualifier Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4. Tenth seed Karen Khachanov was sent packing by Australian Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3. American qualifier Reilly Opelka stunned 21st seed Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. While 20th seed Denis Shapovalov squeezed by lucky loser Daniel Evans 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Also, moving onto third round are Kevin Anderson who toughed it out against Jaime Munar in three sets. Grigor Dimitrov had no trouble with Feliciano Lopez. The Bulgarina dismissed the Spaniard in 60 minutes, 6-1, 6-3. Eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, 13th seed Danil Medvedev, Leonardo Mayer, 18th seed David Goffin and Joao Sousa booked their bid into round three in straight sets.

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Shocker Saturday at the Miami Open: Osaka Out, Serena Withdraws

Shocker Saturday at the Miami Open: Osaka Out, Serena Withdraws

IMG_4009_Osaka
Two points was all the world number one needed to saunter into the round of 16 at the Miami Open. Instead up 6-4, 5-4 and 30-0 in the second set, Naomi Osaka donated two double faults in the game to hand her opponent a break point. Once Osaka’s backhand landed wide, the score was leveled at 5-5. Still, there were chances in the tiebreak which went unclaimed by the Japanese star. Consequently, the match was decided with a third set.

Osaka secured a 2-0 lead when Su-Wei Hsieh double faulted at 15-40. But the veteran from Chinese Taipei was not discouraged. By swarming the net, she was up 0-30. Once Osaka’s backhand landed on her side of the net, Hsieh had break point. She converted by striking a return winner. Throughout the decisive set, Osaka was under the hatchet. Many times, the world number one found herself at 0-30 on her serve. She finally paid the price in the seventh game when a couple of errors delivered the 4-3 advantage to her rival. Subsequent to consolidating for 5-3, Hsieh went back to work. She arrived at her another break point which this time was a match point. Hsieh seized the victory 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 with a volley winner.

The Japanese player had clashed with Hsieh twice before. Thus, she should have known not have counted success until the umpire calls game set and match. In essence that was what she did “I think in that moment I got ahead of myself, but all the other times it was pretty fine. Like, I knew it was going to be a tough match playing her.. . I was kind of immature today. I was thinking too much, like everything was on my racquet. Honestly, she has the ability to make winners, too, whenever she wants.”

For Osaka, being in the position of number one and being expected to always win, she admits is added pressure “I think there’s a difference between having confidence and sort of getting ahead of yourself. . . the last time I played her, she was up two breaks or something, 4-1, I don’t remember if that was one or two breaks. I was just thinking, I was in a bigger hole last time, so I should be able to dig myself out of the hole this time. I completely forgot that she also learned things from that match. It wasn’t just me that was playing there. I just think it wasn’t that I had a big head, but I think I wasn’t really thinking about all of the things that was happening”.

After the Australian Open, Osaka had a major change, parting with Sascha Bajin. This is her second tournament with new coach Jermaine Jenkins. One area which failed Osaka today was her serve as she attempted to close out her counterpart “I’ve been working on my serve a lot these last two tournaments. And definitely it’s improved from Indian Wells to here. . .I don’t think the percentage was that great today. I was slowly starting to count on it again like I used to. . .I’ve been working a lot on my second serve. I think I need to continue practicing it because she was stepping in a lot and being very aggressive. That’s not something I want people to do. . .I think it’s interesting whenever you change coaches because there’s always an adjustment time. . .I think that I played pretty good today actually, if I get over the fact that I lost. I think I played a lot of good rallies. Of course, there were some shots that I tried to hit a winner on to early. I just do that sometimes. It’s nothing to be negative about. . .I think definitely we have a lot of ideas that we need to swap, so we really need to talk about that.

2017 Miami Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki overcame the antics of mercurial Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-4, 7-6 to march on to the round of 16. She will take on Hsieh next.

Petra Kvitová outlasted Donna Vekic in a 2 hour 36 minute contest. The 2 time Wimbledon champion edged out her rival 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. In the fourth round, Kvitová will clash with Caroline Garcia who dispatched Julia Goerges 6-0, 7-5.

In the battle of the Aussie, Ashleigh Barty bounced former U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur 6-0, 6-3. Her opponent will be Kiki Bertens. The seventh seed coasted to triumph after dropping the first set with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over Viktoria Kuzmova.

Eight-time Miami Open champion Serena Williams was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a left knee injury.

With the withdrawal, the tournament’s No. 18 seed Qiang Wang of China advances to the fourth round.

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Saturday Finds Federer in the Spotlight at the Miami Open

Saturday Finds Federer in the Spotlight at the Miami Open

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Following a first round bye, Roger Federer, a three time champion comes out for his initial match in the new home of the Miami Open. The Swiss will clash with qualifier Radu Albot in the afternoon. This will be their first encounter.

Beforehand, Federer’s countryman, 3 time Major champion Stanislas Wawrinka kicks off the day session in stadium court. Wawrinka collides with Serb Filip Krajinovic. The two have yet to play at this tour level.

The night schedule features 2013 French Open finalist David Ferrer against Alexander Zverev ranked number two. The German has prevailed in four of their prior six meetings

Other players who will be displaying their talent as they fight for a place in the third round include 2019 Australian quarterfinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2 time major semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, 2014 U.S. Open champ Marin Cilic and American hopeful Australian Open quarterfinalist Frances Tiafoe.

Here is the order of play for Saturday March 23, 2019:

STADIUM start 12:00 noon
ATP – [30] S. Wawrinka (SUI) vs F. Krajinovic (SRB)
WTA – [1] N. Osaka (JPN) vs [27] S. Hsieh (TPE)

Not Before 4:00 pm
ATP – [Q] R. Albot (MDA) vs [4] R. Federer (SUI)

Not Before 8:00 pm
ATP – [WC] D. Ferrer (ESP) vs [2] A. Zverev (GER)

Not Before 9:30 pm
WTA – B. Andreescu (CAN) vs [8] A. Kerber (GER)

GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon
WTA – [3] P. Kvitova (CZE) vs [26] D. Vekic (CRO)
ATP – [24] G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs F. Lopez (ESP)
WTA – [Q] M. Niculescu (ROU) vs [13] C. Wozniacki (DEN)
ATP – [8] S. Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [LL] M. McDonald (USA)

Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA – A. Tomljanovic (AUS) vs [21] A. Kontaveit (EST)

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
ATP – [20] D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs [LL] D. Evans (GBR)
ATP – [6] K. Anderson (RSA) vs J. Munar (ESP)
ATP – [Q] A. Rublev (RUS) vs [9] M. Cilic (CRO)
WTA – V. Kuzmova (SVK) vs [7] K. Bertens (NED)
ATP – [28] F. Tiafoe (USA) vs [WC] M. Kecmanovic (SRB)
After Suitable Rest – [3] S. Hsieh (TPE) / B. Strycova (CZE) vs K. Christian (USA) / A. Muhammad (USA)

BUTCH BUCHHOLZ COURT start 11:00 am
WTA – [19] C. Garcia (FRA) vs [15] J. Goerges (GER)
ATP – J. Thompson (AUS) vs [10] K. Khachanov (RUS)
WTA – [12] A. Barty (AUS) vs S. Stosur (AUS)

Not Before 4:00 pm
ATP – [Q] R. Opelka (USA) vs [21] D. Schwartzman (ARG)
ATP – [3] B. Bryan (USA) / M. Bryan (USA) vs M. Fucsovics (HUN) / R. Jebavy (CZE)

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
WTA – L. Kichenok (UKR) / N. Kichenok (UKR) vs [WC] A. Anisimova (USA) / A. Riske (USA)
ATP – J. Chardy (FRA) / G. Simon (FRA) vs N. Jarry (CHI) / F. Skugor (CRO)
WTA – D. Jakupovic (SLO) / I. Khromacheva (RUS) vs [5] G. Dabrowski (CAN) / Y. Xu (CHN)
After Suitable Rest – R. Bopanna (IND) / D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs A. Krajicek (USA) / A. Sitak (NZL)
WTA – A. Rosolska (POL) / Z. Yang (CHN) vs K. Flipkens (BEL) / J. Larsson (SWE)

COURT 6 start 11:00 am
ATP – J. Sousa (POR) vs [31] S. Johnson (USA)
ATP – [13] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs A. Mannarino (FRA)
After Suitable Rest – J. Goerges (GER) / S. Halep (ROU) vs [2] T. Babos (HUN) / K. Mladenovic (FRA)
WTA – [8] H. Chan (TPE) / L. Chan (TPE) vs I. Begu (ROU) / M. Buzarnescu (ROU)
WTA – After suitable rest – [1] B. Krejcikova (CZE) / K. Siniakova (CZE) vs [WC] V. Azarenka (BLR) / A. Barty (AUS)

COURT 8 start 11:00 am
ATP – L. Mayer (ARG) vs [26] G. Pella (ARG)
ATP – P. Andujar (ESP) vs [18] D. Goffin (BEL)
ATP – [8] H. Kontinen (FIN) / J. Peers (AUS) vs R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR)
After Suitable Rest – G. Pella (ARG) / J. Sousa (POR) vs [WC] T. Fritz (USA) / N. Kyrgios (AUS)
After Suitable Rest – A. Groenefeld (GER) / L. Hradecka (CZE) vs M. Niculescu (ROU) / A. Spears (USA)

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
ATP – J. Rojer (NED) / H. Tecau (ROU) vs [5] O. Marach (AUT) / M. Pavic (CRO)
ATP – [14] M. Cecchinato (ITA) vs D. Dzumhur (BIH)
ATP – R. Haase (NED) / D. Inglot (GBR) vs [4] J. Cabal (COL) / R. Farah (COL)
WTA – A. Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / A. Sevastova (LAT) vs V. Kudermetova (RUS) / D. Schuurs (NED)
After Suitable Rest – [1] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA) vs M. Cecchinato (ITA) / A. Molteni (ARG)

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Serena, Osaka Tested in Reaching Third Round at the Miami Open

Serena, Osaka Tested in Reaching Third Round at the Miami Open

IMG_3833_Serena_newSubsequent to taking only 24 minutes to pocket the opening set 6-0 at the Miami Open, Naomi Osaka was seriously challenged by former world number 12 and 2009 U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer. The Belgian fought back to seal the second set in a tiebreaker. However, in the decisive set, Osaka demonstrated the strength which garnered her the last two majors. After breaking and consolidating for a 3-0 lead, the world number one grabbed an insurance break. Later, with a crosscourt running forehand, Osaka set up triple match point. With Wickmayer’s return sailing wide, the Japanese woman secured her spot into the third round with a 6-0, 6-7, 6-1 victory. Osaka will face 27th seed Su-Hei Hsieh.

Osaka’s view as to why her journey got convoluted “It was really hard for me emotionally in the second set because I just started thinking about winning, not exactly the things I could do in order to win. I had a bit of a dip. She was also playing well. . .When I’m really in emotionally stressful situations, I find it easier to focus when [I shut down my emotions]. . .I just think it’s sort of an energy saver because of constantly being riled up for every point, I can just keep moving on to the next one. . . I think between the second and third set I tried to breathe and regroup.”

Venus Williams also forms part of the last 32. After a difficult first set, the three time champion coasted in the second for a 7-6, 6-1 win over Carla Suarez Navarro. The American battles the crafty Russian Daria Kasatkina in the next session. Kasatkina dashed the hopes of 15 year old American Cori Gauff after the youngster celebrated her maiden WTA tour conquest.

Serena Williams got off to a slow start surrendering the initial game after being ahead in the score. Still, the eight time Miami Open titlist clawed back to pocket the first set 6-3. Then, with a sleuth of miscues, Serena relinquished the second set 1-6 to Rebecca Peterson. Once again, it was matter of refocusing, as the 23 time major winner dominated the ultimate set for a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 triumph. What got the former number one through was reiterating to herself “I could not lose this match. I knew that I could play a lot, lot, lot better. I just had to be better. At this point it was irresponsible to be playing the way I was playing in the second set. That determination was, I cannot lose this match just really kicked in. What do I need to do to win this match?” In the third round, Serena will square off against Qiang Wang who bounced 2017 Miami Open titleholder Johanna Konta.

Defending champion Sloane Stephens sailed through in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 against Ons Jabeur. In the following match Stephens will collide with German Tatjana Maria.

Garbine Muguruza is out. The French Open and Wimbledon titlist’s stay in the sunshine state was cut short by qualifier Monica Niculescu. The Spaniard was no match for the Romanian’s brand of industrious play which included a series of slices, dropshots, even an underhand surprise serve on match point which are her trademark. Niculescu prevailed 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. She will next take on Caroline Wozniacki who disposed of Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-4.

After finding the ripcord down 1-5 and match point in the second set in the previous round, Indian Wells winner Bianca Andreescu had a less adventurous path today as she conquered 32nd seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3. Her opponent in the third round will be Angelique Kerber. The German had to work hard for her 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over 22 year old Karolina Muchova. Consequently, their third round will be a rematch of the Indian Wells final on this past Sunday.

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