Indian Wells champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina stayed on course to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ with straight sets wins at the Miami Open on Tuesday.
Spain’s world No.1 Alcaraz deployed his dynamic game to tame Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4 and set up a quarter final with Taylor Fritz, who eased past Denmark’s Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.
“It helps when I can grab early breaks in the sets and just play solid tennis,” said Fritz. “Serve well and hold onto the breaks — that always makes the match a lot easier.”
Paul, who came from behind to beat Alcaraz in their only previous meeting at last year’s Rogers Cup, fended off a match point while serving at 5-3.
But there would be no escape from Alcaraz.
“The key of that match was that I was playing to attack,” Alcaraz said. “I didn’t let him play his game — attack and go to the net — I did those things first... I played a really complete match.”
At the Grandstand, Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner breezed past sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4.
Rybakina on course
On the women’s side, Rybakina enjoyed a businesslike 6-3, 6-0 win to dispatch 25th seed Martina Trevisan to move two wins away from completing the ‘Sunshine Double’.
“I would say that, of course, maybe I’m moving not as good as I was moving in Indian Wells but overall I think that I’m trying to keep that level from Indian Wells,” she told reporters after reaching the semi-finals.
PV Sindhu sails in opening tie
Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth won their respective first-round matches in the Madrid Masters here on Wednesday.
But the doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew from the tournament after an injury to the former.
Double Olympic medallist and former world champion Sindhu made short work of Switzerland's Jenjira Stadelmann 21-10, 21-4.
World Championship silver medallist Srikanth defeated Sitthikom Thammassin of Thailand 21-11, 25-27, 23-21 in his round of 32 match. B Sai Praneeth beat Jan Louda 21-16, 18-21, 21-12.
Aakarshi Kashyap defeated sixth seed Michelle Li of Canada 12-21, 21-15, 21-18 while Ashmita Chaliha got the better of Frenchwoman Leonice Huet 21-12, 22-20.
The women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their first round contest against Japan's Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto.
