The Miami Tennis Open will have a Spanish duel between Pablo Carreño and Fernando Verdasco, who eliminated Thanasi Kokkinakis, the executioner of Roger Federer, on Monday, while David Ferrer and Garbiñe Muguruza finally said goodbye to Cayo Vizcaíno.
The second week of the tournament began with the aim of not losing its appeal, and had as a first claim to find out if the young Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis would prolong his path after having eliminated in the second round the world number one.
Verdasco thwarted his dream, and although he started losing the first set, he rallied against a Kokkinakis with whom he had a heated shock, not only because of the scorching Florida sun.
And is that in full game, the Spanish asked the expulsion of a spectator who was bothering him and who turned out to be the father of the Australian tennis player, a controversy that spread to Twitter, where Nick Kyrgios said that the Madrid must be “frustrated” by his defeats against Australians.
Verdasco regretted after the game his bad feelings during the start of this, which ended with a result of 3-6, 6-4 and 7-6 (4), and confessed to having committed “very silly” failures, so in his next duel against Pablo Carreño hopes to be “more stable from beginning to end of the game.”
For his part, Carreño, number 19 in the world, confirmed his good form and defeated the American Steve Johnson for a double 6-4, in a match in which he felt “very comfortable” and in which he showed again that he is playing at a “very high level throughout the game”, especially in the “big” tournaments.
David Ferrer could not join the list of Spaniards in the second round, and although he started very strong against the German Alexander Zverev (5), he ended up winning by 2-6, 6-2 and 6-4.
However, the Alicante, finalist in Cayo Vizcaíno in 2013, was very combative against the young German, who will be measured in the round of 16 with Kyrgios, who overwhelmed the Italian Fabio Fognini (6-3 and 6-3).
The Canadian Denis Shapovalov, aged 18 and number 46 of the ATP ranking, also managed to reach eighths, which eliminated the 11th seed in Miami, the American Sam Querrey, and will face the Croatian Borna Coric, who overtook Jack Sock in a match that was suspended temporarily by the rain.
The South African Kevin Anderson, number 8 in the world, who had to overcome a set against to get rid of the Russian Karen Khachanov, will see them with the Czech Tomas Berdych.
In the women’s box, the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza could not break the hex of the round of 16 in Miami, which has never happened, and fell to the thirteenth seed in Miami, the American Sloane Stephens, champion of the Open of USA by 6-3 and 6-4.
The game was full of alternatives, and both players added a total of eight breaks in service, although five suffered the Spanish, a few breaks that were fatal for the future of the number three in the world.
The champion of the last US Open will try to extend her journey in Miami against the German Angelique Kerber, who defeated the Chinese Yafan Wang.
And the current champion of the Miami Open, the British Johanna Konta, will not be able to repeat the title, after being eliminated by Venus Williams (5-7, 6-1 and 6-2), in a match in which she suffered some discomfort in the back.
Also pains, but abdominals, forced the withdrawal of the Kazakh Zarina Diyas, which allowed the Czech tennis player Karolina Pliskova, sixth seed, to go to the quarterfinals of the Premier of Miami.
This will face the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, former world number one, who had no regard for the Polish Radwanska (6-2 and 6-2), who came to eliminate the current number one, Simona Halep.
Another tennis player who was weighed by the physical discomfort was the Puerto Rican Monica Puig, whom the American Danielle Collins defeated by 3-6, 6-4 and 6-2, after the Puerto Rican requested medical assistance for pain in her shoulder right before beginning the third set.
The fourth seed, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, eliminated the Australian Ashleigh Barty (7-5 and 6-4), and will be in the quarters with the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, who won the Czech Petra Kvitova by 7-6 ( 4) and 6-3.
Mar Vila Pruneda
