The Miami Open saw major upsets in the fourth round, with the top three seeds all being eliminated from the tournament. World number one Iga Swiatek was knocked out by inspired Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, who triumphed 6-4, 6-2 in their match on Monday. Alexandrova, the 16th seed, played brilliant attacking tennis from the outset, leaving Swiatek looking uncomfortable throughout.
Swiatek, who was aiming to become the second woman to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ after her recent victory at Indian Wells, generated just one break point in the match but was unable to convert it. Alexandrova made short work of the second set, breaking Swiatek to go 2-1 up with a startling cross-court return and ending the match with an impressive 31 winners to Swiatek’s 11. It was the first match in which Swiatek has not broken serve since her defeat to Ash Barty in Adelaide in January 2022.
Swiatek expressed disappointment in her performance, stating that she thought she would play better in Miami. However, she acknowledged Alexandrova’s amazing match and superior play on the day. Alexandrova, who was also a quarter-finalist in Miami last year, will face fifth-seed Jessica Pegula in the next round on Wednesday.
In another upset, France’s Caroline Garcia defeated world number three Coco Gauff 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Garcia, ranked 27th in the world, continued her inspired form after beating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in straight sets on Sunday. The victory was Garcia’s first against a top ten opponent since late 2022 but her third career win against Gauff. Garcia will face the winner of the match between Romanian Sorana Cirstea and American Danielle Collins in the quarter-finals.
Gauff, a South Florida native, was disappointed not to progress further in front of her home crowd. She described the match as an “up and down” affair, praising Garcia’s aggressive play and noting the importance of changing the height of the ball, which she did well for the majority of the second set.
In other matches, fourth seed Elena Rybakina defeated American Madison Keys 6-3, 7-5 to set up a quarter-final with Greece’s Maria Sakkari, who advanced with a walkover after Anna Kalinskaya withdrew due to a right thigh injury. Victoria Azarenka also progressed with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Britain’s Katie Boulter.
The elimination of the top three seeds – Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Gauff – has left the WTA tournament wide open. Sabalenka, the world number two, was eliminated by Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina on Saturday. The quarter-finals are set to be highly competitive, with several lower-ranked players now having a chance to make a deep run in the prestigious Miami Open.
