Coco Gauff dishes out double bagel to Sofia Kenin in Miami

Coco Gauff of the US in action against compatriot Sofia Kenin on March 20.PHOTO: EPA-EFE

MIAMI - Third seed Coco Gauff crushed fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-0 6-0 at the Miami Open on March 20, the former US Open champion producing a flawless display to reach the third round.

Gauff, aiming to win her maiden Miami title, won 84 per cent of her first-serve points, saved the one break point she faced and converted six of her nine break points in the 47-minute match.

Up next for Gauff, who was eliminated in the round of 16 at Indian Wells last week, will be Ashlyn Krueger who stunned seventh seed Elena Rybakina 6-4 2-6 6-4.

For Krueger, victory over former Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who during the loss managed a 22-point winning streak on serve, marked the first top-10 win of her career.

Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen also advanced while Canada's Leylah Fernandez beat American Alycia Parks 7-6(1) 6-3.

On the men's side, Reilly Opelka earned his first ATP Masters 1000 win since 2022 with a 6-3 7-6(4) triumph over American wildcard Christopher Eubanks.

Former finalist Kei Nishikori withdrew from his Miami opener on March 20, citing the need for more time to recover after reaching the semi-finals of an ATP Challenger Tour event last week.

"My body has not recovered enough from the matches last week. I will now go home and get ready for the clay court season," Nishikori wrote on X. REUTERS

Source: Straits Times (https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/coco-gauff-dishes-out-double-bagel-to-sofia-kenin-in-miami)