MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Coco Gauff, the sixth seed, opened her 2023 Miami Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Rebecca Marino on Thursday and advanced to the third round, where she will face the 27th seed, Anastasia Potapova.
After her win, Gauff, who was coming from the quarterfinals in Indian Wells, said in a television interview that it was not her best outing, despite converting five of her nine break points.
“Honestly, it was shaky performances,” Gauff said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game, even if I had a break sometimes.”
Gauff rallied from a break down twice in the second set to claim his second career win against Marino. Gauff defeated Marino in the first round of Roland Garros in 2022.
Gauff said she was a little nervous playing in her hometown: She is a native of Delray Beach, Florida, a small town about 40 miles north of Hard Rock Stadium, where the tournament is played. Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat was among those in attendance Thursday.
“Jimmy Butler is here, so I was a little nervous when I saw him,” Gauff said with a laugh in her post-game interview. “Playing at home is something I look forward to, but it’s also a bit of added pressure because everyone wants you to do well here.”
Gauff’s doubles teammate, world number 3 Jessica Pegula, defeated Katherine Sebov 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the third round. She will then face her fellow American and number 30, Danielle Collins. Collins defeated Viktoriya Tomova on Thursday.
Pegula reached the semifinals of the Miami Open in 2022 and is among the favorites to win the tournament this year after No. 1-ranked and defending champion Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament with a rib injury.
No. 21 Paula Badosa defeated Laura Siegemund 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted two hours and 51 minutes. Badosa will face either Elena Rybakina, who defeated Badosa en route to the Indian Wells title, or Anna Kalinskaya.
badosa hit with a ball boy during the game to stay warm after Siegemund called a medical timeout and left the pitch for treatment, which took nearly 15 minutes.
No.14 seed Victoria Azarenka defeated Camila Giorgi 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round, where she will face No.20 Magda Linette.
Azarenka has the second-most career Miami Open wins among active women with 38. The mark trails only Venus Williams, who has 67. Azarenka, 33, has won the tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2016 .
In other action, Elise Mertens eliminated No.8 seed Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to face No.29 Petra Martic next; No. 23 Qinwen Zheng earned a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Irina-Camelia Begu; and No. 13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Tereza Martincová 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-0.
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