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Naomi Osaka advanced to the fourth round of the Miami Open after her third-round opponent, Karolina Muchova gave her a walkover. The Czech was said to have suffered an injury to her abdomen that prompted her withdrawal before the match.
Later, in a tweet, Muchova shared, “I’m sad that I cannot put up a battle against Naomi today. After a long break from tennis, 2 tough matches in row have been a lot for my body and I need longer to recover. Was nice to be part of @MiamiOpen again!
I will be back on clay!” Seeking a place in the quarter-finals, Osaka will now play Alison Riske. Riske got past her compatriot, Ann Li 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and nine minutes. Anna Kalinskaya was the second player to withdraw before her third-round match.
Kalinskaya sustained an injury to her left arm which left her unable to play on. Following her withdrawal, Lucia Bronzetti moved on into the fourth round. The Italian lucky loser will play Daria Saville next. The Australian won her match against Katerina Siniakova after the latter retired in their match.
Saville was leading the Czech 6-0, 1-0 at the time.
Miami Open: Only three seeds remain atop the draw
Eighth seed Ons Jabeur also booked her place in the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Kaia Kanepi. The Tunisian needed an hour to wrap up the proceedings in her favour.
Jabeur won 77% of her first-serve points to Kanepi’s 31%. She also converted six break points on the Estonian’s serve while conceding her serve just once across the six break points, she faced. Jabeur will play the second-highest seed in the top half – the ninth-seeded Danielle Collins – for a chance to reach the quarters.
The American won her third-round match against Vera Zvonareva, 6-1, 6-4 in an hour and 18 minutes. Lastly, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and 22nd seed Belinda Bencic took the last two fourth-round spots in the top half of the women’s singles draw at the Miami Open.
Sasnovich came through a tiring three-setter against Irina-Camelia Begu, winning 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 in three hours and one minute. Bencic, meanwhile, beat Heather Watson, 6-4, 6-1 in their round-of-32 encounter.