Andreescu shakes off slow start to cruise into 3rd round at Miami Open
Canada's Auger-Aliassime also advances with straight-sets win over Herbert
Canada's Bianca Andreescu needed a set to warm up before cruising into the third round of the Miami Open.
The No. 8 seed from Mississauga, Ont., downed Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic 7-6(5), 6-2 on Friday in the second round of the WTA Tour 1000 tournament.
Andreescu fought off two break points to take the first set, overcoming 21 unforced errors in the opener compared to 10 for No. 105 Martincova.
After battling to hold serve to open the second, Andreescu took full control by breaking her 26-year-old opponent to go up 2-0 and glided the rest of the way to finish the match in one hour 52 minutes.
"I felt that in the first set I wasn't as consistent as in the second set, but I think that tiebreaker really said a lot because I started putting on more pressure," said Andreescu. "Second set, you could tell she became a little discouraged."
WATCH | Andreescu recovers to beat Martincova:
Andreescu will face 28th-seeded Amanda Anisimova, who ousted fellow American Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-3.
Meanwhile, Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime is also heading to the third round on the men's side after the No. 11 seed from Montreal beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France 6-4, 6-4 in a second-round match.
Andreescu, who had a first-round bye, returned from a 16-month layoff following a knee injury in February at the Australian Open, losing in the second round.
The Canadian followed that up by reaching the semifinals of an event in Melbourne for players eliminated early from the Australian Open, but a leg injury suffered there kept her out until Miami.
Andreescu is trying to recapture the form of her breakthrough 2019 season when she won three tournaments, including the U.S. Open.
"I felt really good mentally out there, which was something I struggled with a bit in Australia," said Andreescu.
Auger-Aliassime, who got a first-round bye, won 81 per cent of points when he got his first serve in — well above Herbert's 59 per cent clip.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime advances in Miami:
Auger-Aliassime reached the semifinals of the Miami Open the last time it was held in 2019.
"I also have a good vibe from this tournament so that always helps," Auger-Aliassime said. "I thought it was a tricky first match ... Being ready for his best, being ready for the worst-case scenario really got me prepared mentally."
Herbert, ranked 74th in the world, reached the final of a tournament in Marseille, France earlier this month. Auger-Aliassime now leads the career series between the two 2-1.
The Canadian will next face the winner of a match later Friday between American qualifier Mackenzie McDonald and No. 18 seed John Isner of the U.S. Isner beat Auger-Aliassime in the 2019 Miami semis.
No. 6 seed Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., and No. 12 seed Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., will play their second-round matches on Saturday.
Osaka posts 22nd consecutive win
No. 2-ranked Naomi Osaka won her 22nd match in a row Friday, beating Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the second round.
Osaka shanked a serve over her opponent's head in the final game but also hit 13 aces. She has historically made early exits in Miami, and needs only one more win for her best showing in five appearances.
Osaka hasn't lost in more than a year, and her winning streak includes her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month.
In men's play, No. 3-seeded Alexander Zverev double-faulted three times on break point and lost to No. 83-ranked Emil Ruusuvuori, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. Zverev was coming off a run to the title last week in Acapulco.
Goffin, a semifinalist in 2016, was upset by James Duckworth 6-3, 6-1. Dimitrov was swept by Cameron Norrie 7-5, 7-5. No. 30 Reilly Opelka lost to Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-2.
In other women's play, No. 10 Kiki Bertens was upset by Liudmila Samsonova, 6-2, 6-1. Winning in straight sets were No. 6 Karolina Pliskova, No. 8 Bianca Andreescu, No. 12 Garbine Muguruza and No. 16 Elise Mertens.
Muguruza, who won the Dubai Championships earlier this month, improved her 2021 record to 19-4 by beating wild card Xinyu Wang 6-4, 6-1.
"I was actually quite nervous, because this is a tournament that I love," Muguruza said. "After playing well in the Middle East swing, I just wanted to keep the same energy and the same quality of tennis."
Pliskova dropped her first service game but settled down to sweep Zheng Saisai 6-2, 6-1. Mertens was a point from trailing 4-0 but rallied past Katie Boulter 6-4, 6-1.
With files from The Associated Press
