New Delhi: 

  Meanwhile, men’s top seed Alexander Zverev showed his dominance against British qualifier Fearnley, delivering a composed performance in his straight set 6-2, 6-4 win to reach the third round. The victory marked his 145th Masters 1000 win surpassing Tommy Haas for the most by a German player. He now prepares to face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the next round. 

 Indian Wells runner-up Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the last 16 at the Miami Open. The World No.1 dominated the opening set 6-1 before Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired due to a right thigh injury. The three-time Grand Slam champion now faces American defending champion Danielle Collins in the next round who battled past Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova in three sets.

Jack Draper’s momentum halted:

Indian Wells champion Jack Draper suffered an early exit as he lost 7-6(2), 7-6(3) to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. Draper achieved a career milestone just last week as he entered the top 10 rankings after defeating Holger Rune last Sunday after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. The 19-year-old Mensik stunned everyone with exceptional skills securing victory through tie-breaks. 

Osaka’s fitness boost and Gauff’s smooth progress

Naomi Osaka continued her comeback with a hard-fought 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4 victory over American wild card Hailey Baptiste. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who returned to action in January after a 15-month break due to maternity leave expressed confidence in her physical condition stating she feels even stronger than in 2021. Her next challenge will be Italian sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, who progressed after Ons Jabeur retired while trailing 4-3 in the first set due to a left leg injury. Meanwhile, third seed Coco Gauff secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Maria Sakkari while Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen also advanced with a straight-sets win over Taylor Townsend. Local player Ashlyn Krueger produced an upset by defeating 26th seed Leylah Fernandez to earn a meeting with Zheng.

Draper’s match was briefly halted due to a protest from Brazilian fans who were upset about a venue change for Joao Fonseca’s clash against Ugo Humbert. However, Fonseca went on to please the crowd with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Humbert.

Major upsets in the men’s draw:

Reilly Opelka pulled off a comeback win against 11th seed Holger Rune triumphing 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). With the eliminations of Draper, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev, none of the Indian Wells semifinalists remain in the Miami Open draw.

Adding to the surprises, Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong stunned 13th seed Ben Shelton in a tense 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-6(5) battle. Meanwhile, Canadian Denis Shapovalov and American third seed Taylor Fritz both secured victories setting up a third-round clash.