Naomi Osaka beat Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday in a one-sided clash of two former world No.1s to reach the third round of the Miami Open, where Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep withdrew with injuries.
Four-time grand slam champion Osaka made a strong start against German 13th seed Kerber.
The victory was Osaka’s first against Kerber since the 2017 US Open. It also marked Osaka’s first win over a top-20 player since last year’s Miami Open.
Up next for Osaka will be Czech Karolina Muchova, who beat US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Raducanu falters
Olympic doubles champion Katerina Siniakova was down a set and a break but rallied to secure a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over US Open champion Emma Raducanu in a match lasting nearly three hours.
On the men’s side, Briton Andy Murray looked sharp in his 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 win over Federico Delbonis. The former world No.1 held his nerve through a tight first set before breaking serve to open the second and pulling away.
