Reigning Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff both suffered fourth-round exits at the Miami Open. Swiatek’s defeat came at the hands of Ekaterina Alexandrova, who triumphed in a 6-4 6-2 victory on Monday night. Hours earlier, the third-seeded Gauff fell in a hard-fought three-set match against Caroline Garcia, with a final score of 6-3 1-6 6-2.
For Alexandrova, this win marked a significant milestone, as she defeated a top-ranked player for the first time. She now advances to face Jessica Pegula, who secured her spot with a 7-6(1) 6-3 victory over Emma Navarro in a battle of billionaires.
Alexandrova’s performance was nothing short of phenomenal, with a strategic return game that took advantage of Swiatek’s predictable patterns. She applied constant pressure, effectively taking control of the game and limiting Swiatek’s opportunities. Alexandrova’s serve was also a key factor, as Swiatek failed to break her even once throughout the match.
This marked Alexandrova’s second win over Swiatek, following a previous victory in Melbourne in 2021. Despite Swiatek’s dominance in their recent matches, including three wins in a row, Alexandrova managed to turn the tables this time. Reflecting on her victory, the world No.16 shared, “We played quite a few times before and sometimes it was three sets. I think sometimes I was quite close to it, but still far away. Winning against her, of course it feels great. I’m not sure if it’s a surprise or not, but I just worked quite hard on the court and it paid off.”
Caroline Garcia, currently ranked world No.27, continued her impressive run at the Miami Open by defeating her second consecutive Grand Slam champion to reach the tournament’s quarterfinals for the first time in her career. Following her upset victory over Naomi Osaka, Garcia secured a gritty win over the third seed and local favorite, Coco Gauff.
The Frenchwoman’s victory over Gauff marks her first win over a Top 10 player since the end of 2022, when she notched four Top 10 wins en route to claiming the title at the 2022 WTA Finals. American Danielle Collins will be Garcia’s opponent in the final eight.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina secured her spot in the quarterfinals by defeating 17th-seeded American Madison Keys with a score of 6-3 7-5. Her next opponent will be eighth seed Maria Sakkari, who advanced to her second Miami Open quarterfinal after Anna Kalinskaya withdrew due to a right thigh injury.
Victoria Azarenka, who won the Miami Open in 2009, 2011 and 2016, secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 7-5 6-1 victory over Katie Boulter. The two-time Australian Open champion will next face Yulia Putintseva, who advanced with a 6-4 7-6(5) win over Anhelina Kalinina.
