WTA Miami Open: Zheng Qinwen Makes Strong Debut, Faces Keys in "Hard-Hit" Match Tomorrow Morning

On March 21 local time, the WTA 1000 Miami Open entered its fifth day of competition. In a rain-delayed women's singles second-round match, Zheng Qinwen defeated wildcard entry and former US Open champion Stephens in straight sets 6-3/6-2, with the match lasting 1 hour and 19 minutes. The Chinese star will face another Grand Slam champion in the third round—the locally competing 15th seed Keys.

Although Stephens secured a break first in the opening set, leading 3-2, Zheng Qinwen immediately responded with a counter-break, initiating a streak of eight consecutive games. She not only clinched the first set but also led 4-0 in the second set. Stephens fought back with a resilient hold of serve, attempting a comeback, but Zheng maintained steady performance in her own service games. Ultimately, she concluded the match with a final ACE, extending her head-to-head record against Stephens to 3 wins and 0 losses.

Zheng Qinwen

Zheng Qinwen's serving performance in this match was notably impressive. Despite a low first-serve success rate of only 42%, her first-serve winning rate reached a high 84%, and her second-serve winning rate was also 65%. She excelled on crucial points as well, converting 4 out of 6 break opportunities. With this victory, Zheng's live ranking surpasses Wang Xinyu, and she will continue to hold the top position among Chinese women's tennis players next week.

In other women's singles matches, the top seeds advanced without issue. The 4th seed Gauff endured tough battles in consecutive rounds, defeating compatriot Parks 3-6/6-0/6-1, and will face Kostyuk in the fourth round. The 5th seed Pegula led 6-1/3-0 when opponent F. Jones retired. The 6th seed Anisimova, 8th seed Andreeva, 10th seed Mboko, 12th seed Bencic, 13th seed Muchova, and 18th seed Jovic all won in straight sets. The dark horse Gibson, who performed strongly at Indian Wells, continued her impressive form, eliminating the 16th seed Osaka Naomi 7-5/6-4 in the second round. The 26th seed Fernandez fought through a three-set battle, defeating Sherlehmeteva 7-6(1)/3-6/6-1.

Chinese players achieved victories in the women's doubles arena. Jiang Xinyuan/Xu Yifan reversed the match 3-6/6-4/10-4 against the 5th seed Danilina/Krunić. Yang Zhaoxuan/Kato Moe defeated the veteran pair Siegemund/Zvonareva 6-1/1-6/10-7.

Sinner

In men's singles, the top-ten seeds Sinner, Aliassime, and Medvedev all smoothly advanced to the third round. Sinner's opponent in the third round will be the 30th seed Moutet. Defending champion Mensik narrowly advanced, reversing the match 3-6/6-2/6-4 against qualifier Walton, and will face the 19th seed Tiafoe in the third round.

The 15th seed Rublev was upset in a reversal, losing 7-6(5)/2-6/4-6 to Chilean player Tabilo. The locally competing 20th seed Lerner Qian also unexpectedly fell, losing 2-6/6-4/2-6 to Mezhak. Other seeded players who exited include the 16th seed Davidovich Fokina, 23rd seed Norrie, and 26th seed Lindeknech.

According to the schedule, Zheng Qinwen will face Keys in the fourth match on the Grandstand Court. The match is scheduled to start around 4:30 AM Beijing time tomorrow morning. The two have only met once before, at the 2023 Washington Open, where Zheng lost in straight sets.

Tomorrow's Schedule

（Text and editing by Wang Fei, Image/Visual China）