ZCZC
BSP-03
TENNIS-ATP-WTA-USA
Medvedev, Osaka through as Zverev tumbles out of Miami Open
MIAMI, March 27, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Daniil Medvedev celebrated his rise to
second in the world with a seamless entry into the Miami Open on Friday,
trouncing Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in less than an hour.
Russia’s Medvedev needed just 56 minutes to subdue Lu 6-2, 6-2, firing nine
aces with just one double fault as he advanced to a third-round meeting with
Australian Alexei Popyrin, a 6-4, 6-2, winner over 30th-seeded American
Reilly Opelka.
Women’s world number two Naomi Osaka, seeded second behind top-ranked
Australian Ashleigh Barty, had a tougher time, but conquered her nerves in
her first match since winning the Australian Open to beat Aussie Ajla
Tomljanovic 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
Men’s third seed Alexander Zverev, ranked seventh in the world, became the
biggest upset victim so far in the prestigious ATP Masters and WTA hardcourt
tournament, falling 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 to 83rd-ranked Finn Emil Ruusuvuori.
Medvedev, the top seed in an ATP Masters event for the first time, was all
over Lu from the opening game. He belted 24 winners to become the second
player — along with compatriot Andrey Rublev — to reach 15 match wins this
year.
Runner-up to top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, Medvedev
ascended to No. 2 in the world when he lifted the ATP trophy in Marseille.
Medvedev became the first player outside the “Big Four” of Djokovic, Roger
Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to rank second in the world since
Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.
But he’s already looking for more.
“The only thing I feel like when you reach something you haven’t done then
straight away it doesn’t matter and you want to go further and further,” he
said. “I think it’s the same for everybody.
“I’m happy about my achievement but only trying to improve every day and
want to go further.”
Zverev also arrived in Miami riding a wave of success, having captured the
ATP title in Acapulco last week.
But Ruusuvuori, 21, rallied to claim one of the biggest wins of his career,
turning the tables on Zverev with more aggressive tactics in the second set
and posting the second win of his career over a top-10 player.
“I don’t even know myself,” he said of how he managed the reversal. “I
wasn’t feeling very comfortable in the first set and I was making a lot of
unforced errors. But slowly in the second I was starting to feel a bit
better.”
– Osaka fights through –
Osaka acknowledged she was feeling some nerves in her first match since she
lifted her fourth Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
“I would say what I’m most proud of today, just being able to handle my
nerves,” she said.
That was a bigger problem than the gusty wind on Grandstand Court at Hard
Rock Stadium, where 77th-ranked Tomljanovic twice went up a break in the
opening set but despite an impressive display of power was eventually undone
by 24 unforced errors.
Thirteen aces among her 36 winners helped Osaka overcome a slew of unforced
errors of her own and set up a third-round meeting with Serbian qualifier
Nina Stojanovic, who surprised Yulia Putintseva, the 26th seed from
Kazakhstan, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
“I served really well when I needed to,” Osaka said. “Unfortunately I got
broken a couple of times, but I think when it really, really mattered, I was
able to serve well, so I’m happy with that.
Fourth-seeded American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion,
rallied for a 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-3 victory over German Andrea Petkovic.
Sixth-seeded Karolina Pliskova, eighth-seeded Bianca Andreescu and No. 12
Garbine Muguruza also advanced.
Pliskova beat China’s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 6-1, Andreescu defeated Czech
Tereza Martincova 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 and Spain’s Muguruza, coming off a title in
Dubai two weeks ago, beat wild card Wang Xinyu of China 6-4, 6-1.
In other men’s action, Australian James Duckworth surprised eighth-seeded
Belgian David Goffin 6-3, 6-1 and Britain’s Cameron Norrie beat ninth-seeded
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-5.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1239 hrs