Miami Open: Swiatek, Osaka, Rybakina moves into third round

Iga Swiatek of Poland powered to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the 100th WTA 1000 match of her career to the third round at Miami Open on Saturday.

“I was feeling really pretty confident and I just wanted to see how I’m going to feel the surface,” last week’s Indian Wells champion Swiatek said after her latest win. “It was all really comfortable, so I’m happy.”

Swiatek, the 2022 Miami Open champion, took just 67 minutes to dismiss big-hitting Giorgi, a former Top 30 player currently ranked No.107. Swiatek, who had a first-round bye, has not lost her opening match at any tournament since 2021 Cincinnati.

Swiatek will see a familiar face in the third round when she takes on No.26 seed Linda Noskova. Czech teenager Noskova defeated qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka emerged with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over the No.15-seeded Elina Svitolina at the Miami Open.

Osaka now leads the series with Svitolina 4-3. She plays No.23 seed Caroline Garcia — a 6-1, 5-2 retirement winner over Viktoriya Tomova — in a third-round match Monday.

World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka and No.6 Ons Jabeur bowed out of the Miami Open on Saturday night. No.36 Anhelina Kalinina earned the second Top 5 win of her career after defeating Sabalenka 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in the third round.

Elena Rybakina avoided Day 5’s upset bug by holding off American qualifier Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4 to advance to the Round of 16. A finalist here last year, Rybakina will take on No.17 seed Madison Keys next. The American advanced with a 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Wang Xinyu.